A fire that gutted part of Ngabu Secondary School earlier this month has left the institution with 50 mattresses against the enrolment of over 300 students.
The school needs about K9 million to address the challenge.
Education authorities in the district disclosed this when one of the country’s corporate organisations donated mattresses to help mitigate the problem.
The fire in question occurred on the 20th of this month. According to Primary Education Advisor for Ngabu Zone, Piason Kachingwe, the fire started in the school’s kitchen before it eventually spread to the stores’ section, where it reduced many mattresses to ashes.
“About 50 mattresses are now left against an enrolment of 320 students, forcing several of them to sleep on the hard floor”, said Kachingwe.
Moved by the students’ plight, a grouping from Chikwawa and Nsanje called Social Economic Trust is soliciting funds to aid the school.
One of the country’s corporate players – Service Touch has now responded with 25 mattresses.
Chief Consulting Officer for Service Touch Emmanuel Mulele, said after hearing about the news they thought of rendering a helping hand as one way of giving back to the community.
“The mattresses may not be enough but we are telling the students that they must work hard even though they are sleeping on the floor,” said Mulele.
Meanwhile, the Parliamentarian for the area who is also Minister of Water Development, Abida Mia, has applauded the organisation for the gesture. She has also pledged continued support to the institution.
“We are grateful for the donation however as a Parliamentarian for the area the immediate thing I can do is to renovate the kitchen”, said Mia.
The Chikwawa and Nsanje Social Economic Trust has since renewed its call for a speedy multi-stakeholder response, in alleviating the challenges the school is facing.
