Tag Archives: primary and secondary school teachers sit-in

Education, Malawi

Malawi Police in cat-and-mouse chase with public primary school pupils; arrest 9 pupils and 23 parents

Henry Chizimba
Primary school pupils in cat-and-mouse chase with police

Public primary school pupils in the districts of Balaka, Ntcheu and some parts of Blantyre on Monday caused havoc on the streets during their demonstrations against the closure of their schools following the ongoing teachers’ sit-in.

Both primary and secondary schools have been closed since last week due to the teachers strike over the delayed payment of leave grants and arrears.

As part of expressing their anger, pupils blocked roads in their areas while throwing stones to passing vehicles and in some cases demanding K1,000 to be used in paying their teachers’ leave grants.

However, in Blantyre and Balaka the police managed to disperse the learners from the street with teargas.

Ironically, things turned into violence between the protesters and police in Ntcheu district, as learners with support from their parents blocked the Blantyre-Lilongwe M1 road with heavy stones and trees while demanding money from the road users for paying teachers arrears and leave grants.

Ntcheu district police officer in charge John Nkhoma told The Maravi Post that each road user was paying K1000 to the protesters in order to pass the students’ ‘roadblock’.

However, police in all districts said no property was damaged in the fracas.

The Malawi Police has,however, arrested 9 students and 23 parents.

According to Nkhoma, all people arrested are currently in custody and are expected to appear before the court soon to answer the charge of causing breach of peace.

Meanwhile, the teachers strike is still continuing a development which has made some opposition legislatures to ask the minister of education to resign.

Education, Malawi

BREAKING NEWS: Public primary school pupils stage protest over teachers’ strike

Henry Chizimba
Primary school students block a road protesting closure of schools due to teachers’ ongoing sit-in

Public primary school students in Blantyre on Monday, spilled to streets, protesting against the closure of schools due to the ongoing teachers’ sit-in.

Chanting “we need to go to classes,” the pupils in Balaka, Blantyre, and primary schools, are blocking some roads with big rocks, and by burning things. They say they will hold a vigil at the District Education Manager (DEM) office.

“We are tired of being at home, we want to go back to classes. Our plan is to seek Government’s intervention on the matter. We shall be staying at the DEM’s office, till teachers go to classes,” said some of the pupils in an interview.

In the central region, angry students and parents blocked the M1 Road just after Salima turn off towards Ntcheu; they are demanding K1,000.00 per vehicle to pay their teachers.

A US-based diaspora reports that while on her way to the airport in Blantyre at HHI, students are rioting against Police. She was driving to Chileka International Airport, but had to quickly make a U-turn because the students are throwing stones in the one hand, and Police are using teargas.

The students denied to have been sent by someone; they said “this is our plan; no one is behind this.”

There is fear that the student uprising may turn escalate into widespread violence, if the situation is not controlled.

The police action of throwing tear gases is to dispense the learners.

In Salima the protesting students are demanding K1000 from motorists to use in paying their teachers’ leave grants.

Meanwhile, teachers through their organization, Teachers Union of Malawi (TUM), said their nationwide strike, which started last week, will continue until the end of the third term of the academic calendar, which is in July. This will be the case unless Government pays all teachers their leave grants.

According to TUM President Willie Malimba, parents and Government should not expect teachers in public primary and secondary to go back to school soon.

“If Government keeps on changing its tune or failing to meet with us to map the way forward, classes will not resume,” he said.

Opposition members of Parliament express concern that the strike may affect form four students, who are expected to write their Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) examinations starting at the end of this month.

Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development Goodall Gondwe, last week told the House that, despite the process to pay teachers takes longer than expected, things will be finalised by Monday (today).

He assured the members that his ministry will transfer funds to the councils for the teachers today, but some District Commissioners told the Maravi Post that they have not received any payments from the Ministry of Finance.

The Malawi US-based diaspora said Malawi needs prayers.

Education, Malawi

We’ve not received funds for teachers’ leave grants—DCs

Henry Chizimba
Goodall Gondwe: lied in parliament about transferring funds to DCs to pay teachers’ leave grants

District Commissioners (DCs) on Tuesday denied the Minister of Finance Goodall Gondwe’s report that they have received funds for paying primary school teachers’ leave grants.

Both primary and secondary school teachers across the country are on sit-in which started on Monday 5 June due to the development.

Gondwe said this in Parliament on Tuesday when he was responding to Chitipa South Member of Parliament (MP) Werani Chilenga who asked government to explain to the house on Tuesday why primary and secondary school teachers are on a strike and what action it has put in place to make sure that classes resume.

The Chitipa South legislature Chilenga said he was worried with government’s silence on the matter saying “the sit-in is crippling the country’s education.”

While defending the Ministry of Education silence on the matter, Gondwe said his ministry has already put forward some measures to end the strike.

According to him, his ministry has transferred funds to the councils to enable the councils pay leave grants to teachers.

He said it is up to the councils to decide when to pay the teachers.

Minister of Education Emmanuel Fabiano while concurring with Gondwe said teachers will get their leave grant through their councils before the end of the 2016/17 financial year.

However, Mzimba DC Thomas Chirwa and Karonga DC Richard Hara dismissed the claims by Goodall Gondwe and Emmanuel Fabiano saying that government only gave them authority to process payment of teachers’ salaries adding that no funds have been transferred to them to effect the leave grants payment.