By Vincent Gunde

A visit to Chibanzi Community Day Secondary School in the area of Senior Chief Msakambewa in Dowa North East Constituency, has revealed that many students have dropped out of school due to poor infrastructures at the school and lack of resources.

A student sitting for the Malawi School Certificate of Educations (MSCE) Malawi National Examinations Board (MANEB) 2025 revealed that the classrooms are in disrepair for years at nobody’s care despite teachers’ efforts of ensuring that teaching and learning is taking place efficiency and effectively.

He said science subjects are being taught by very hard working teachers without adequate teaching and learning materials speaking to itself that the school is not ready to teach science subjects and there’s no Library.

The Head teacher attributed the high drop rate of students at the school to community ridicule of the students attending classes at the school saying this is leading to low morale and it is not surprising to learn that Chibanzi CDSS has only 20 students sitting for the 2025 MSCE Examinations.

Speaking at the school’s prize giving ceremony as a guest of honor, , an aspiring Member of Parliament for Dowa North East constituency Pemphero Phiri, said he was deeply touched with the situation at the school promising to bring change once he is voted into office on the 16th September, 2025 elections.

Phiri was one of the frustrated candidate who participated in the MCP primaries for the area, wanted to stand independent but chiefs and the people of the area asked him to join the UTM and he will represent the people of the area as a UTM candidate.

He said it is sad that the whole Msakambewa has no modern secondary school vowing to construct one at Msakambewa trading centre and ensuring that all secondary schools in the area are equipped with modern facilities to make teaching and learning enjoyable.

“Voting for me is voting for change, there is need to elect a leader with new ideas and mindset change, voting for a candidate out of been given handouts, will not change this constituency, it will remain the same forever,” said Phiri.

He urged the registered voters in the area not to support leaders who neglect community problems only  the development of their pockets, saying this has led to most areas not only in Dowa North East but the district as a whole, declining as if there are no representatives in Parliament.

Phiri, then supported the school with free internet WI-FI so that teachers, students and the communities surrounding the school should not be left behind in modern internet technologies to Google learning information on internet.