By Nandie Magomelo

Dedza, November 7, Mana: Students from St Joseph Teachers Training College in Dedza district on Wednesday afternoon staged a protest as a way of expressing anger over delayed monthly upkeep allowances.

Vice President for the student’s union, Adrina Chingoka, said in an interview after presenting their petition to Dedza District Council that four months have elapsed without getting their monthly upkeep allowances.

“Surprisingly, only 181 students out of 575 received their allowances in the past four months. The situation is hard for most of us especially female students as we are failing to purchase basic necessities,” she said.

Chingoka stated that inadequate kitchen utensils at the school also delay their class attendance.

The institution also faces scarcity of firewood forcing cooks to fetch firewood on their own.

She, therefore, called upon authorities to intervene and bring sanity at the institution.

Dedza District Council Director of Administration, Dr Chris Salaniponi, confirmed receiving the petition.

He assured the students that their concerns will be addressed as soon as possible.

“We will engage authorities at the college in a fact finding mission to address the current situation and come up with a suitable resolution,” he said.