Malawi needs K3bn to rehabilitate schools in flood affected areas

Malawi government will need a whooping MK 3 Billion to bring back to about 400 schools affected by heavy storm that characterized the floods in the country, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has said.

A report released by Secretary and Commissioner for Disaster Management Affairs show that more than 350 schools are directly affected by the floods while other schools are being used as displacement sites affecting nearly 300,000 learners.

Spokesperson in the Ministry of Education Manfred Ndovi said that the short term action is to just renovate the affected schools while a long term plan could be constructing other schools far away from the disaster prone areas.

UNICEF has distributed 50 tents in the districts of Nsanje, Phalombe, Chikwawa, Machinga, Mulanje, Thyolo and Mangochi to assist the affected schools and has also procured and distributed 565 school-in-a-box kits to schools in the seven districts.

Education activists have expressed concern on the students who will be sitting for examinations this later this year saying their preparation may have faced a huge setback.

Benedicto Kondowe, a vocal civil society activist, argued that the country should find a way of how best to deal with the situation because from areas affected by the floods will not have prepared enough for their examination as compared to other areas where the schools went on undisturbed.

“Schools from fllood hit areas should go an extra mile in preparing the students who will be sitting for examinations since there calendar has been heavily affected by the floods in that they have a good period of time,” he said.

Communities who had their homes washed away by the floods were camping in schools a development which rendered the schools unusable for a long period resulting in students staying at home instead of being in class.