When the Christian-Liebig-Stiftung e.V. began supporting the school in Ndalapa, there was a lot missing. Classrooms were in need of renovation and the infrastructure was patchy. Most importantly, one crucial thing was missing: accommodation for teachers.
In rural areas of Malawi, a teacher’s house is not a luxury, but a necessity. Teachers do not move to a school alone. They come with their families. If there is no safe housing, positions remain unfilled. And without teachers, there can be no lessons.
The result is overcrowded classrooms, changing substitute teachers, or classes that can only be held sporadically. Even newly built classrooms do not solve this problem if there is no one to teach there.
Joy over the new houses.
Most recently, four new teachers’ houses (two duplexes) were built, in addition to an existing house that was renovated. In total, there are now eight housing units available for teachers.
A solar power system is supplying the school with electricity for the first time – in a region that is so far from the grid that a connection is unlikely for several years. Only 13 per cent of Malawi is connected to the electricity grid. The solar power system means more than just light in classrooms. The school is a community centre where meetings are held. Now people can charge their devices and there are also evening classes for adults.
Lessons can be planned and the school is becoming attractive to teachers. Pupils can rely on regular lessons. Ndalapa is now much more structurally stable than it was a few years ago. The combination of functioning classrooms, lived-in teachers’ houses and, for the first time, a power supply, creates the basis for the school not only to exist, but to flourish.
But the situation is not yet stable everywhere. When the Christlich-Liebig-Stiftung e.V. first came to Mounekera, over 2,000 pupils were studying there in impossible conditions. There was a lack of classrooms, no teachers’ houses and no electricity.
A lot has changed since then. Two more schools have been built nearby to reduce overcrowding. Two teachers’ houses have been built. But even that is not enough. More than 1,000 children are still studying in Mounekera, and there is still a shortage of teachers and housing.
Despite everything, the headmaster is not giving up. Using a Sunny Money system, he has managed to organise at least makeshift lighting and charging stations for computers and mobile phones. It shows that people are taking action here – and that is precisely why further support is worthwhile.
The construction of another double teacher’s house is planned for the new year. The experience in Ndalapa makes it clear that infrastructure is decisive for educational opportunities.
Photos: Affonso Gavinha