By Andrew Mkonda

Lilongwe, May 18, Mana: Learners at Chowo Community Day Secondary School (CDSS) in the area of Traditional Authority (TA) Chitekwere in Lilongwe have expressed excitement over the construction of a girl’s hostel at the school, saying it will boost their education performance.

Holliness Chanudza, a form four student who is also a Head-girl at the school said girls have been facing challenges on their way to and from the school.

She said men have been coaxing the girls into marriage, taking advantage that some of them used to walk long distance to get to school.

Said Chanudza: “We are so happy to have such a facility at our school. This will boost our performance during examinations and this will also increase enrolment of girls since many of them have been dropping out of school due to early marriage and pregnancies.

“Our colleagues before us have been getting poor results because they were coming to class tired with household chores and walking long distances, but for us, we will be going out with flying colours because we will have enough time for study.”

Lophina Banda who was doing self-boarding near the school said the girl’s hostel will provide security to the girls as they will now be monitored by their teachers.

“Self-boarding is not safe to girls as some men and boys were coming during night hours to disturb us and it was difficult to concentrate on our studies, but now we are safe and we can see our bright future and fully focus on what we want to be,” she said.

Grem Majamanda, a Head teacher at the school said teachers are ready to look after the girls at the hostel and will not allow intruders to disturb them.

“It has been difficult for us to monitor our girls in their rented homes and this has contributed to school drop-outs, but with the coming in of this hostel, our girls are now safe,” he said.

According to Majamanda, the school has an enrolment of over 300 leaners, many of them girls.

The MK96 million Chowo CDSS hostel construction with its beds and mattresses has been funded by the World Bank, through the Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD) project implemented through the National Local Government Finance Committee (NLGFC).