Introducing the first of three news blogs, reporting on how our Africa programmes are coping with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the impact on the schools and wider communities where we work.
Despite living in a country that is regularly plagued by difficult challenges, such as natural disasters and political corruption, Computers for Malawian Schools (CFMS) has continued to provide thousands of school children the opportunity to learn IT in the last few years. However, never before has CFMS faced such a complex and life-changing challenge as COVID-19. Sabina Kulasinghe, the programme manager, has told us just how the team has adapted and changed over the past few months to cope with ongoing pandemic.
The team is small, with just Sabina, an admin assistant, accountant and technician, working in their Blantyre-based office. The technician manages the IT labs that CFMS provides for schools by networking and installing them. They also offer one on one teaching to members of the public at their digital training Centre also in Blantyre, Malawi’s biggest city. The Centre is also used by the local school, with the ultimate goal that the school will themselves manage it in the future.
One of the newest members of staff is the designated cleaner for the training Centre, which is adjacent to the office. The cleaner goes in every day to sanitise and disinfect all the surfaces, which is vitally important to ensure the safety of both members of the public and school students. Temperatures are taken before each person enters, and mask-wearing is compulsory inside the building. These measures are necessary and crucial to enable Sabina and her team to continue to provide instruction and opportunity for the local community during this time. Members of the public are welcome to walk-in and have individual ICT lessons, such as how to network a room, trouble-shoot a dysfunctional computer and even how to assemble devices.
The team is small, with just Sabina, an admin assistant, accountant and technician, working in their Blantyre-based office. The technician manages the IT labs that CFMS provides for schools by networking and installing them. They also offer one on one teaching to members of the public at their digital training Centre also in Blantyre, Malawi’s biggest city. The Centre is also used by the local school, with the ultimate goal that the school will themselves manage it in the future.
One of the newest members of staff is the designated cleaner for the training Centre, which is adjacent to the office. The cleaner goes in every day to sanitise and disinfect all the surfaces, which is vitally important to ensure the safety of both members of the public and school students. Temperatures are taken before each person enters, and mask-wearing is compulsory inside the building. These measures are necessary and crucial to enable Sabina and her team to continue to provide instruction and opportunity for the local community during this time. Members of the public are welcome to walk-in and have individual ICT lessons, such as how to network a room, trouble-shoot a dysfunctional computer and even how to assemble devices.
Government schools are due to fully open on the 12th October, and International schools on the 20th. Some students, those that have key exams were the first to go back in Malawi in September. Sabina says students are really excited to go back. It is clear that going to school is not only providing students with the ever so important life skills that they will need for work, but also keeping them out of difficult circumstances that have become more prevalent again during the pandemic. Child marriages have increased dramatically again as young girls have taken time off from education.
As one of the poorest countries in the world, around 50.7% of the population live below the poverty line. Much like the rest of the world, the Malawian economy has been badly hit by COVID-19, and some cost-saving measures being taken in the education system may soon backfire. In Government schools, they are trying to restrict the use of the more costly anti-bacterial hand-sanitiser, and as an alternative are cutting up small blocks of washing bars and placing them around the facilities. There are reports that rules are also being flouted by pupils during break times and lunch times, as no teachers are there to supervise any social distancing or mask wearing. None the less, Sabina continues to concentrate on her duties of distributing, supervising and running stock supplies. The team in Blantyre are now looking forward to the arrival of 850 computers and 150 laptops sent by ITSA at the end of August.
As one of the poorest countries in the world, around 50.7% of the population live below the poverty line. Much like the rest of the world, the Malawian economy has been badly hit by COVID-19, and some cost-saving measures being taken in the education system may soon backfire. In Government schools, they are trying to restrict the use of the more costly anti-bacterial hand-sanitiser, and as an alternative are cutting up small blocks of washing bars and placing them around the facilities. There are reports that rules are also being flouted by pupils during break times and lunch times, as no teachers are there to supervise any social distancing or mask wearing. None the less, Sabina continues to concentrate on her duties of distributing, supervising and running stock supplies. The team in Blantyre are now looking forward to the arrival of 850 computers and 150 laptops sent by ITSA at the end of August.
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