Lilongwe schools close as violence continues
Delays to announce results for May 21 Tripartite Elections did not only fuel violence in cities but has also forced some schools in Lilongwe City to temporarily close.
The Nation’s visit to some selected primary and secondary schools as well as colleges yesterday revealed that some schools have been closed since last Tuesday when Malawians went to polls.
Some institutions such as Likuni Girls Primary School gave a one-week holiday to students while Biwi Primary School sent back learners, fearing that violence might spill over to a number of areas as the political standoff remained unresolved.
A spot-check in some private and international schools also revealed that classes were postponed until the situation normalises following a volatile situation that happened on Sunday.
The tension that erupted on Sunday also sent shivers to Pentecostal Life University (PLU) which postponed examinations yesterday.
PLU registrar Austine Luhanga confirmed students did not begin sitting exams yesterday as a precaution to ensure that students are placed in a secure environment when sitting exams.
“Business here is normal. But we are just taking precautionary measures after noting some violent
scenes in Nsundwe and other areas. In case this may spill over to next week, then we will decide on when they should have their exams,” he said.
In an earlier interview with The Nation, Civil Society Education Coalition executive director Benedicto Kondowe emphasised the need for the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology to have a roundtable discussion with the Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) to resolve the issues amicably for progress of education.
In a related development, the United States Embassy in Lilongwe has also prohibited its citizens working in the country from travelling due to the volatile situation in the country’s cities as well as the risks of protests, demonstrations and marches which would make travel difficult.
