The Member of Parliament for Kasungu Municipality Constituency, Noel Mkubwi, has expressed concern over poor infrastructure standards at Kasungu Secondary School, saying the situation requires urgent attention.
Mkubwi made the remarks on Wednesday during a visit to the school, where Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Technology Francis Foley was inspecting infrastructure constructed under the Equity with Quality and Learning at Secondary School (EQUALS) project.
He said the school is in a dilapidated state and deserves a facelift through the construction of new blocks, and appealed to the government, through the Ministry of Education, to consider the institution in the 2026–2027 national budget.
“Constructing a new school will help the government save significant amounts of money currently spent on frequent renovations. This is a historic school with strong academic performance that deserves a new face,” Mkubwi said.
Senior Chief Kaomba echoed the concerns, noting that despite being one of the country’s historic schools, its infrastructure is lagging behind.
He cited damage caused by Cyclone Chido two years ago, saying the school has not yet been rehabilitated a situation he described as worrying, as it has contributed to classroom congestion.
“Through you, Deputy Minister, we plead that you consider building a new school so that we can decongest the classes,” said the Chief.
Responding to the concerns, Deputy Minister of Education, Science and Technology Francis Foley reaffirmed the government’s commitment to improving education standards.
He said the introduction of free secondary education is a major milestone in ensuring every child has access to quality learning, adding that the devolvement of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) will help address challenges facing schools such as Kasungu Secondary.
“The government is aware of the challenges compromising the provision of quality education. As government, we are committed to addressing these issues through projects like EQUALS and the Constituency Development Fund,” Foley said.
Meanwhile, an architect at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology responsible for the EQUALS project, Tione Augustin Mughogho, bemoaned foreign exchange shortages, saying they have affected effective implementation of the project.
“Scarcity of forex is among the challenges affecting our project. However, we believe we will meet the June deadline,” he said.
So far, under the EQUALS project, the government of Malawi has constructed nine classroom blocks, nine science laboratories, and libraries in Kasungu District.
The Malawi Government is implementing the US$95 million EQUALS project, with financial support from the World Bank, aimed at improving science and mathematics instruction in Community Day Secondary Schools (CDSSs).
