Dwalala Primary School in Traditional Authority (T/A) Wimbe in Kasungu has registered a 60 percent improvement in pass rate thanks to solar-powered electricity which has facilitated evening studies among learners.
The school’s head teacher Mapopa Mvula confirmed on Friday that in the past, the school used to register a 40 percent pass rate at Primary School Leaving Certificate of Education examinations, but during the 2017/18 academic year, the school registered 100 percent pass rate.
“Since we started using solar electricity in the last academic year, things have changed. All 34 pupils who sat for examinations passed and 15 got selected to secondary school,” he said.
The solar electricity, handed over to the community on Friday, was provided by Empower Malawi with support from In A Perfect World from the United States of America. Empower Malawi executive director Jones Ntaukira said they installed solar electricity following concerns from parents that their children were failing to progress in education due to study challenges.
“Performance in urban schools is better because pupils have a change to study at night using electricity after a busy day, but the case was different here. So, solar electricity was a good option,” he said.
In A Perfect World founder Manuela Testolini said the organisation supports local partners such as Empower Malawi to improve livelihoods in rural communities. The organisation has also handed over similar facilities to Mitula Primary School in T/A Chilowamatambe in the district.
(Source: The Nation Malawi, Monday 22 October 2018)