By Fostina Mkandawire

Salima, April 24, Mana: Construction of a K47 million school block at Thundu Primary School in Salima district has increased the number of learners who will be learning in classrooms, a development which will improve the quality of education.

Thundu Primary School block project is being constructed under the District Development Fund (DDF) at the school which is located on the outskirts of Salima town in Group Village Headman Daniel under Traditional Authority Maganga.

Speaking in an interview with Malawi News Agency on Monday, Headmistress for the school, Elizabeth Ndelemani, emphasized that the development will enhance delivery of quality education at the school.

"Learners were deprived of their decency by learning under trees; their notebooks and clothes were mostly dirty due to sitting on an untidy place," she said.

She said learners were being distracted during lessons more especially during rainy season, a development which was affecting performance of learners.

"Our capacity has increased because we have classrooms that can house about 1,249 learners’. In the past we used to refer other learners to a school that is about 20 kilometers from this community, a development which posed a threat to their security and safety," she said.

On his part, Salima District Council's Director of Education, Youth and Sports, Alfred Hauya, highlighted that quality education cannot be fully actualized without having adequate classroom blocks, emphasizing that the construction of classroom blocks will assist the learners to attain quality education.

"The education sector appreciates efforts towards infrastructural development in schools. Taking into consideration that Salima is a hot district and prone to flooding, learners cannot attain quality education by learning under trees," he said.

Chairperson for Thundu Primary School's Parent Teacher Association, Emmanuel Lifa, said as parents they were worried of the welfare of their children because they were not learning in a conducive environment.

"When we were informed as parents of the construction of this school block, we welcomed the idea and we were part of the processes of the construction by assisting in drawing water for the constructors and also ferrying building blocks," he said.

School Management Committee Chair Sophia Mayere said as a committee that oversees that the school's property is well taken care of, they will ensure that the school block and other facilities are properly maintained and protected from vandalism.

Mayere further commended the commitment that the surrounding communities showed during the construction of the facility, saying it signified ownership of the project.

Upgrading of Thundu Primary School commenced in January 2023, and the school block consists of two classrooms furnished with 30 desks each and two administration offices, among others.