Police arrest students from Lilongwe Technical College for demonstrations: Fire tear gas

Union President of Lilongwe Technical College, Promise Chidothi said he does not see any future for the much touted rural technical colleges the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Government says it is implementing if it is failing to take care of the already existing technical colleges, such as the Lilongwe Technical College.

He was speaking Thursday in an interview with the Lilongwe News Agency, a day after the students held a demonstration for being unhappy with the situation the college is in.

“We have several problems in the college which the administration is failing to solve. Toilets are broken down, meals are miserable, and there is no menu, if it is eggs available, we may have them for so many days till they finish.

“There is no security, security lights are not there, it becomes pitch dark as soon as the sun sets, coupled with that, the security company engaged provides untrained personnel, they allow strangers into the college any time, even at midnight without asking them questions, there are so many issues,” explained Chidothi.

He said students morale of learning is down due to these problems including psychological ones where their own teachers degrade them, saying they have no right to demand what they want because they pay too little fees (K14 000) as contribution to government subsidy.

Additionally, the students alleged that their teachers work hard in moonlighting to train students who pay them privately .

The Union President disclosed that they had been meeting the principal several times on the problems but nothing has been done. He said they have been complaining about the problems since 2012.

“Every time we meet administration, they assure us that the problems will be solved but nothing happens, the situation continues to deteriorate and learning has been so difficult because of such poor conditions,” explained Chidothi

He said these were the reasons why the students resorted to hold a demonstration, after handing over their petition, they proceeded chanting songs peacefully from the administration block to outside the college gate.

Police invited by the administration, came in when the demonstration was almost dying down, according to Chidothi, with only a few students still dancing and chanting at the gate.

He alleged that although the police found just a few students chanting at the gate, they used tear gas to disperse them, worse still, they proceeded to tear gas students who were sitting peacefully in their hostels.

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