St John’s closed after students strike
St John’s Catholic Secondary School in Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, was on Friday closed after a student-strike on Thursday led to the damage of school property.
The students went on strike against new school rules restricting time of storing food in hostels. Management said eating of rotten food exposes the students to frequent illnesses.
The students damaged window panes for the school hall, some toilets and the administration block in addition to removing water taps at the hostels.
The school chairperson Polycarp Chigwenembe said: “The school did not stop students from keeping food in the hostels. What was communicated to them was to ensure that they [students] finish their food within the next two weeks.
“This was done to avoid cases where the food goes bad and brings other challenges such as sicknesses when the students take bad food [food poisoning].
He also said as a church institution, the school also wanted to teach students that hostels are not a place where they would keep food.
“Dates for reopening the school will be communicated to all parents and guardians after the board has met and critically reviewed the issue at hand,” he said.
