Reduced violence enhances performance in Nkhata Bay
Education stakeholders in Nkhata Bay have touted improved performance of learners, especially girls in national examinations, attributing the development to reduced cases of violence child marriages and corporal punishment.
At Kavuzi Community Day Secondary School (CDSS), 11 out of 15 girls have passed the 2018 Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) examinations, unlike in previous years when the school would only have three girls passing the examinations.
The feat is attributed to the Safe Schools Project, which ActionAid Malawi is implementing to reduce violence against girls and boys.
Speaking during an open day on Saturday at Kavuzi CDSS, the school’s head teacher Gertrude Phiri said chiefs, parents, teachers and learners have joined forces to ensure an end to violence.
“For the past four years, Kavuzi CDSS did not register high performance rate at MSCE level, but through the project, out of 32 who registered, 28 have passed, and 11 are girls,” she said.
Village head Phetembe said chiefs have set up punitive measures such that parents who marry off their children are taken to court, and that does not spare chiefs.
Action Aid Malawi Nkhata Bay district coordinator Thomas Moyo said since the introduction of the project, 102 learners have been re-admitted in schools in the district.
