By Vincent Gunde 
By Vincent Gunde
The Dowa District Council has advised partners to engage relevant stakeholders at all of project implementation to ensure that their is proper coordination and collaboration at all levels .
The Council has also advised partners to share progress of activities at relevant council structures such as District executive committee (Dec) and Technical Working Groups to ensure successes of their projects in the district.
It has also called on partners to always make sure that they sign Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) with the Council and the CSO network for the district to enhance cooperation, transparency and accountability.
Speaking during the District executive committee (Dec) meeting held at the Boma, the Council’s Chief Agricultural Officer Japhet Zingani, thanked Advanced Girls’ Education in Africa (AGE Africa) for its scholarship programme which has sent 162 scholars ( 90 females and 72 males) to partner secondary schools across the district and outside the district.
Zingani said the programme has registered successes in the district that scholars particularly girls are in schools contributing to future leaders of the country.
“Let partners support the scholarship programme for it to be successfully implemented in our district,” he said.
Presenting the progress of the programme to the District executive committee (Dec) AGE Africa’s District Officer Tamara Chalanda, said the scholarship programme is being implemented in the three districts of Dowa, Mchinji and Kasungu with the objective of contributing to future leaders of Malawi by providing end – to – end educational support for children in tobacco farming communities.
Chalanda said the sponsorship programme is that each scholar is entitled to 4 years of secondary school education, 4 years of tertiary education, and one year placements depending on the field of study.
She said the scholarship model to each scholar include tuition and accomodation, meals, books, laptop, stipend, and follow – up support.
“Secondary scholarship combines merit, economic validation and agreement signing, shortlisting 10 top performing students based on performance, needs assessment, and ranking using findings from standardized vulnerability assessment,” said Chalanda.
She said the programme in Dowa is helping scholars to remain in schools, delaying marriages among girls, increasing girls agency at both school and community levels, and improving facilitation and leadership skills as a result of participating in CHATS club.
However, Chalanda said the program is meeting some challenges in the course of implementation such as poor academic performance by some scholars, indiscipline among scholars, and lack of parental support both socially and academically, among others.
Chalanda said the programme has taken some steps to address the challenges such as structured academic clinics and parental engagement meetings, programme review meeting with partner secondary schools, and withdrawing some scholars from scholarship due to indiscipline and poor performance.
Read also: Government faces Growing financial crisis: Delays in salary payments and local council funding
Read also: Mpama inducted as Bishop for Northern Diocese
Read also: Honor Decision By President Lazarus Chakwera To Delegate Me
