BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)—Proprietors of private schools are in dilemma over how to pay salaries for hundreds of teachers and non-teaching staff in the wake of coronavirus pandemic that has forced the government to close all schools.
Maravi Post has established has established that most private institutions are struggling to meet operational costs because parents who owe the institutions millions of kwachas are withholding payments in a wait-and-see game over the pandemic.
H.C Kawale, a board chairperson of Our Lady of Lourdes Girls Catholic Secondary School, says the institution has suspended payment of salaries to teachers with effect from the month of May due to shortage of funds.
In a circular to all members of staff, Kawale says the school solely depends on school fees from learners who are currently at home.
“In consideration of the closure of schools in Malawi since 21st of March, 2020, as a measure to contain the spread of the current covid-19 disease, I regret to announce the painful decision made by the Board of Governors for Our Lady of Lourdes Girls Catholic Secondary School on 21st of April, 2020 to suspend payment of salaries to all members of staff at the school.
“The suspension comes from the well-known fact that the financial running of the school depends solely on the school fees from the same learners who are at home and whose return to school with fees is not known,” reads the letter in part.
James Kalaile, director of New Vision Private Secondary School in Blantyre, shared similar sentiments in an interview with this reporter.
“We have been thrown into financial crisis by the pandemic and cannot pay teachers and the support staff. Parents are no longer paying fees balances, yet the school is run from fees collections. Our school management has held discussions with employees and briefed them accordingly,” he said.
Apart from two aforementioned schools, a snap survey by Maravi Post has found that many private schools stopped paying teachers since the month of March on grounds that a good number of students did not pay the fees due to hunger that hit hard the country especially in the month of January and February.
Some economic experts in the country have already predicted that the financial hardship during the COVID-19 crisis is likely to force many children out of expensive private schools and into public or low-fee schools.
The Independent Schools Association of Malawi (ISAMA) said many private schools could be vulnerable and might need government help if they are to continue paying teachers.
