By Maria Tembo

Ntchisi, August 15, Mana: Ntchisi District Council has launched four projects worth over K1 billion under the Governance to Enable Service Delivery (GESD) in the areas of Senior Chiefs Kasakula, Nthondo, Malenga and Sub Traditional Authority Masanya.

Among the projects are a girls’ hostel and matrons’ house at Katete Community Day Secondary School (CDSS) in Chikaonga village, Senior Chief Kasakula and a two-classroom block at Champhoyo primary school in the area of Senior Chief Nthondo.

A girls’ hostel and matrons’ house at Katete CDSS worth K529 million is to be completed within 120 days and is expected to ease the long-distance challenge, girl learners undergo to access education, according to the legislator for Ntchisi East Constituency Bernard Chitekwe where the development is taking place.

Chitekwe said it is disheartening to see that many girls in the district are performing poorly while others are dropping out of school due to among others long distance covered when going to access education

He said the coming in of the hostel will act as a motivation to the girls.

“We have noted with concern that many girls in this area are getting pregnant while others go into early marriages because they stay far away from school.

“We hope to see a lot of girls performing well in school once construction works of the hostel is completed as they will only be able to focus on studies and not on distance covered,” he said.

The school’s head teacher, Robert Zefa concurred with Chitekwe, saying some of the girls drop out of school due to pregnancy and hoped that once the construction of the hostel is completed, school dropout cases will be reduced.

“Sadly, every year we have girls sitting for the Malawi School Certificate of Examination (MSCE) while pregnant. It is our hope that this issue will be addressed once the hostel is completed as the girls will only be focusing on their school work and not school-unrelated issues” Zefa said.

Olipa Chimangeni, Member of Parliament for Ntchisi northeast said the K103 million two-classroom blocks being constructed at Champhoyo primary school will help to decongest the number of learners in other classes.

She asked the district council and non-governmental organizations to renovate the old classroom blocks describing them as a death trap.

Also launched were a Police Unit and staff house at Malambo in Sub T/A Masanya and a staff house at Kansonga police unit in Senior Chief Malenga.

In her remarks, Inspector Stella Chipala of Ntchisi Police Station said once the construction of a police unit at Malambo in the area of Sub T/A Masanya is finalized, it will help to reduce criminal cases currently on the rise in the area.

“I would like to thank the district council for the Malambo Police Unit and staff house project worth K449 million. We believe that the area will be crime-free once the police unit is operational,” Chipala said.

Council chairperson, Arnold Kapolo, who was a guest of honour, warned contractors against substandard work and missing deadlines.