Temwa - Nick Webber Trust backed schools project given go ahead

Nick Webber Trust backed schools project given go ahead

Tuesday, 31 July 2007 00:00

Agreement of funding for a joint school support and school scholarship program to be implemented in Usisya from the end of this year.

The Nick Webber Trust (N.W.T.) has recently agreed to fund a joint school support and school scholarship program to be implemented in Usisya from the end of this year. This project will be funded by The Nick Webber Trust and will be implemented on the ground in Malawi by Temwa’s staff.

Earlier this year Temwa was contacted by The N.W.T. who offered to work in partnership with us on a schools support and schools scholarship program to be implemented in Usisya. Since the initial contact our Project Manager in Malawi has been working hard putting together a project proposal to submit to the N.W.T. This has involved detailed consulting with Temwa’s Community Committee, staff from the Usisya Community Day Secondary School (C.D.S.S.), the local Primary Education Advisor and the District Education Department.

This proposal was finally submitted a few weeks ago and it included a description of a scholarship scheme to provide 20 scholarships for able and willing students to attain their secondary school qualification as well as a plan to provide financial resources to improve the educational facilities available at the 18 primary schools in Usisya. The 20 scholarships, to be know as N.W.T. Bursaries, will be split up into three types; four for exceptional students to attend the government or mission-run school to which they are selected; 12 for able students who might not be able to pay for their secondary school education to attend the C.D.S.S., and a further four term-by-term bursaries to be provided by the C.D.S.S. to encourage competition within classes and raise overall performance. An additional focus of these N.W.T. Bursaries will be to attempt to redress the gender imbalance within the educational system in Usisya.

The improving of the educational facilities of Usisya’s primary schools is going to take the form of the provision of educational materials such as workbooks, stationary and calculators as well as the building of a new school block to begin in early October. Before this takes place, questionnaires are to be sent to school heads asking them to detail their material and construction needs and our assistance will be tailored to address these needs as best as possible.

The N.W.T. came back to us shortly after we submitted our proposal and agreed to fund the project and since then they have also agreed to up the amount of scholarships they are going to provide, although the number has yet to be agreed upon. The N.W.T. Bursaries are going to begin at the start of the next school year in Malawi, which is January 2008. This was decided to allow us enough time to be able to carefully select those students who are going to receive the N.W.T. Bursaries, so we can best identify those most in need with help from the parent teachers associations and the local community. We are hoping this will stem any possible jealousy that may be nurtured among those who are not selected by fostering an understanding within the community that we have tried our upmost to be totally fair and transparent in our selection process.

Temwa are honoured to be working with The N.W.T. and we hope that this project will mark the start of a long and productive relationship that will provide lasting benefits for the people of Usisya.

Background information on the state of education in Usisya, Malawi:
In Malawi primary education is free but secondary education must be paid for. In poor rural areas such as Usisya this proves to be a big obstacle to students wanting to continue schooling further than the primary level. Many families cannot afford the fees or examination costs involved in sending children to school, especially when there are numerous children in need of education. Girls are denied education to a greater extent than boys as they are traditionally expected to do domestic chores around the home and care for their siblings. Thus, where finances are limited, a boy’s education will invariably be given priority over a girl’s. Additionally girls marry young and are then expected to devote themselves to producing and caring for a family. Education is not perceived to be as important to them.

In the last census only 12.4% of people Nkhata Bay District had received secondary education.

Usisya is served by a total of 17 primary schools but only one secondary school. All schools suffer from chronic understaffing, lack of materials and facilities; and, in the case of the primary schools, a surfeit of students. It is not uncommon for there to be a student-teacher ratio of greater than 100:1. Not only are the schools understaffed but the secondary school staff are also under qualified. Of the 6 teachers working at the school (12 are needed for a properly functioning school) none are qualified to teach at secondary level and therefore struggle to provide their students with the tuition needed to pass their final exams (the Malawi School Certificate of Education – MSCE).

The majority of the people of Usisya are subsistence farmers and fishermen. There are very few opportunities for formal employment so people need to travel outside the area to find jobs. In a very competitive formal employment market an MSCE is essential. However, quite apart from this potential economic benefit, increased education has been consistently shown to be directly associated with better health outcomes and nutrition for both the learner and his/her dependents. This is especially the case when women are the recipients of education.

Students at a Usisya primary school