A severe infrastructure shortage is crippling operations at Mafunde Junior Primary School in Blantyre West, where students are forced to learn in makeshift grass-thatched classrooms without desks or a reliable water supply, according to MBC Online. Established in 2023, the school has an enrolment of 313 learners from Standard 1 to 6 but possesses only two permanent rooms. This results in over 90 students being crammed into a single space. The facility also lacks its own borehole, relying entirely on a nearby farmer's pipe for water.
Headteacher Yamikani Makwale told MBC Online that the overcrowding makes it nearly impossible for teachers to conduct individual student assessments or manage classes effectively. Trainee teacher Dorcas Mabedi, who recently worked at the school, noted that the unsafe conditions disproportionately affect vulnerable learners, particularly girls.
Commenting on the crisis, education activist Benedicto Kondowe highlighted that thousands of schools across Malawi face similar critical classroom shortages, MBC Online reports.