Malawi raises fees in secondary schools and colleges

Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has said in view of the revised fees regimes for various categories of secondary schools, head teachers in public secondary schools should give students adequate time to pay school fees.

Director for Secondary and Distance Education in the Ministry, Chikondano Mussa made the remarks in Lilongwe during a press briefing.

Mussa said parents or guardians who have difficulties in paying fees at once are advised to negotiate with head teachers on modalities of how to pay them in installments.

“In situations where parents have completely failed to find school fees, they should write to Education Division Manager through head teacher a letter of withdrawal of their child/ward in that academic year and request the place to be reserved for the following academic year,” Mussa said.

She however said reservation of a place is only for one year except where a medical condition and other circumstances dictate otherwise. Mussa said other acceptable grounds for withdrawal include; being pregnant or responsible for pregnancy, prolonged sickness and taking care of siblings whenever evidence is provided.

“Government and other stakeholders will continue to provide bursaries to needy students in public secondary schools to reduce drop out as the ministry provides 20 bursary beneficiary identification forms to all public schools which a school bursary committee use to identify, rank and select the most vulnerable students according their degree of neediness,” Mussa explained.

Mussa said the school based committee comprises of the deputy head teacher, the bursar and three senior teachers for transparency and accountability.

She therefore called upon the general public to help the Ministry check any malpractice perpetrated by those administering the bursary scheme guided by the procedures indicated and that no head teacher is mandated to sign the list of the selected student’s forms that go to the district for consideration and on ward transmission to the Division Bursary Committee.