UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER
Malawi News Online - 07/14/96

Malawi News Online - 07/14/96

MALAWI NEWS ONLINE/MALAWI NEWS ONLINE/MALAWI NEWS ONLINE

Edition No: 11 14 July 1996

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The fortnightly update of news from Malawi

MALAWI NEWS ONLINE is written by Malawian journalists, in Malawi and from their point of view. It is assembled and edited in Denmark by South Africa Contact (the former anti-apartheid movement), publishers of i'Afrika, the quarterly magazine on Southern Africa.

The fortnightly news updates from Malawi are provided by our established network of journalists in Southern Africa. They will be followed, in the not too distant future, by individual news updates covering other Southern African countries.

MALAWI NEWS ONLINE is brought to you by a co-operation between South Africa Contact and Inform-bbs, the leading alternative information network in Denmark.

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In this edition:

Feature: GIRLS LAG BEHIND BOYS IN EDUCATION

Articles:

1 NEW DRUG RESISTANT STRAIN OF TB FOUND IN MALAWI

2 PRESS TRUST RECONSTRUCTION ACT NULL AND VOID

3 JAPAN DONATES AMBULANCES TO MALAWI

4 LUNGUZI DIES

5 EARTH STATION IN COMMISSION

6 MCP SEEKS TO STOP ONGOING SITTING OF PARLIAMENT

7 400 PRISONERS WALK FREE

8 DEATH OF WORKS AND SUPPLIES MINISTER

9 MULUZI'S VEILED WARNING

10 KUWAIT HELP FOR DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

11 MALAWI BEAT TANZANIA IN SOCCER FRIENDLY

12 MALAWI'S ATHLETES IN THE OLYMPICS

FEATURE:

GIRLS LAG BEHIND BOYS IN EDUCATION

China Limau is the only girl out of the 35 students in Standard 8 at Muona Primary school in Nsanje, south Malawi. She wants to be an engineer after completing school. She does not want to be like other girls who upon finishing school opt for more female related careers. She wants something distinctive.

However, the possibility of achieving her goal looks grim. In Malawi, girls still drop out of school more frequently than boys despite the many incentives that have recently been made available to enable them to continue their education. It is estimated that only 28% of the Standard 8 pupils in the country are girls and of that percentage only 36% pass their examinations.

China Limau, however, is not deterred by these statistics. "I want to be educated like you," she told a group of journalists who recently visited her town during a countrywide tour.

According to research done at the University of Malawi it has been shown, that in spite of programmes such as Girls Attainment for Basic Literacy Education (GABLE), which in the last few years has helped raise enrolment in primary schools to a ratio of one boy to one girl, by the time Standard four is reached, half of the girls drop out. And, by the time they reach Standard 8 the drop out ratio is two girls to every boy, according to Esme Kadzamira, a research fellow with the university.

Statistics for Standard 1 in the 1992-93 school session showed more girls than boys enrolled, with a figure of 38% of girls reaching Standard 8 compared to just 30% in 1989-90, before the introduction of GABLE. The enrolment of girls in primary schools continued to shoot up between 1993 and 1995. Still, and even with these achievements, girls continue to drop out at a much higher rate, said Kadzamira.

The GABLE programme was introduced in 1991 to promote primary education for girls. It includes providing scholarships to girls like China Limau who make it to secondary school. GABLE also helps to make Malawians more aware of the need to educate girls as well as boys, and to help bring about a change in attitude. The project targets its message at parents, guardians, community leaders and counsellors, through radio and the traditional initiation institutions.

Although aimed at both sexes, the free primary school programme introduced in 1994 boosted girls' enrolment. During its inception period, enrolment peaked to a record 3.2 million pupils, and of these over half were girls. However, by the end of the same year, 1.9 million students had already dropped out and it is estimated that almost a third of these were girls.

According to a situation analysis done on poverty in Malawi, most of the girls drop out due to teenage pregnancies and early marriages. Some parents even withdraw their daughters from school when they reach puberty for fear of unwanted pregnancies. Linley Kantengeni, Controller of Women and Children's Affairs, said the problem is very complicated. "It concerns the social constraints of our culture." By this, she attributes the drop out rate of girls to Malawian culture, attitudes and values. She said that following the norms of Malawian culture, parents prefer sending their sons to school than rather than their daughters because boys are considered "more brainy and as leaders". She also said that even the classroom environment is sometimes not so conducive to the promotion of the education of girls.

Teachers, for example, often do not notice the performance of girls in class and there is also the problem of girls being bullied because some boys do not accept that a girl can do better than them . This would appear to be simply because they have been brought up with the belief that they are more intelligent than girls and that it is they who are the ones with the leadership abilities.

Primary school education is not compulsory in Malawi and to address the problems that have arisen because of this there are those advocating its introduction. However, from the problems at the time when the introduction of free primary education took place - the increased enrolment making it difficult for the existing facilities to accommodate the pupils - the Desk Officer for GABLE, Mary Shaba said that although this could be a sure way of raising the enrolment of girls, she considers the time is not yet ripe for such a project because of the lack of the necessary logistics in order to cope. When free primary education was introduced, classrooms, teaching materials, textbooks and teachers were all inadequate or lacking. The result was confusion with, for example, many children being taught out in the open, under trees and in hastily erected temporary structures.

Mary Shaba considers such a project must wait so that Malawi may avoid a repeat of all the confusion that arose following the introduction of free primary education. And, it would seem, with the situation as it is at present, that much more needs to be done to assure China Limau that her dream will come true.

ARTICLES:

1 NEW DRUG RESISTANT STRAIN OF TB FOUND IN MALAWI

Malawi researchers have found a strain of drug resistant tuberculosis after testing a new vaccine.

On expert has called it "a severe blow to containment" (More to come on this story next week)

2 PRESS TRUST RECONSTRUCTION ACT NULL AND VOID

The High Court in Blantyre has ruled that the Press Trust Reconstruction Bill, passed by Parliament in September last year, is unconstitutional and therefore null and void. Judge Dunstan Mwaungulu said the bill was passed without the two thirds majority required to form a quorum. In addition, he said the bill was not served to the members of the house 21 days before it was presented to the house as required by the constitution .

The Bill sought to wrest the Press Trust, which was then believed to have been solely owned by former president Kamuzu Banda, from its private owners. Mwaungulu said following the ruling, that the Press Trust reverted back to the original owners of the trust in 1982, with the general public as the beneficial owners.

However, Judge Mwaungulu threw out an application from the MCP seeking to reinstate Kamuzu Banda as the sole trustee of the fund. According to the ruling, Kamuzu Banda remains the founding trustee, while the current Secretary to the President and Cabinet and the Finance minister, are ex-officio members.

The Attorney General will be the administrator of the fund to ensure that it is used by its rightful owners, the public.

3 JAPAN DONATES AMBULANCES TO MALAWI

Malawi has received a donation of 115 ambulances from the Japanese government, to be distributed to health centres throughout the country. The ambulances valued at MK45 million (US 3 million dollars) have been provided under the debt relief grant aid for the first half of 1996.

Forty-three of the ambulances are already in the country while the rest are expected to arrive into the country shortly. On presenting the ambulances, Tadashi Masui, Japanese ambassador to Malawi said he hoped the vehicles would help to reduce the acute shortage at Malawi hospitals.

On the same day Japan also donated drugs worth MK13.5 million (US 900,000 dollars) to the government of Malawi.

4 LUNGUZI DIES

Barely a month after he joined politics, ex-police Inspector General McWilliam Lunguzi was killed in a car accident on July 2 in central Malawi. His vehicle ran into a stationary tractor, killing him on the spot. Three other people were injured in the same accident.

Lunguzi, who joined the Malawi Congress Party last month, was travelling from the northern region city of Mzuzu where he had addressed a rally. The accident happened near Mponela, about 60 kilometres north of the capital, Lilongwe at about 9:00 PM local time. 5 EARTH STATION IN COMMISSION

President Bakili Muluzi on July 5 commissioned a third earth station and a second international telephone exchange in Blantyre.

The new earth station will provide adequate facility for the next 11 years after which a fourth earth station will be installed in Dowa, central Malawi. A third international telephone exchange will be installed in 2007.

The new facilities are expected to ease congestion on the South African and the United Kingdom telecommunications streams.

Mitsin and Company Limited of Japan has pumped into the project a loan of US$10 million (MK150m) while the Malawi Posts and Telecommunications Corporation will finance the project with US$1.67 million (MK25 m).

6 MCP SEEKS TO STOP ONGOING SITTING OF PARLIAMENT

The Malawi Congress Party is to seek a court order to declare the ongoing sitting of parliament illegal and the bills passed during the sitting null and void.

MCP Publicity Secretary Hetherwick Ntaba, buoyed by the High Court's ruling on the Press Trust Reconstruction Act said that following the walkout by the opposition MCP and AFORD from parliament some two weeks ago, there was no quorum in the house to pass any bills.

The High Court July 3 declared the Press Trust Reconstruction Act - passed in September last year - null and void due to lack of quorum in the house at the time the bill was passed, following MCP's walkout. The MCP walked out in protest against the manner in which the bill was introduced, this being that it had to be served to members 21 days before tabling.

Ntaba said the High Court's ruling was clear proof that the on-going session is unlawful and all business transacted during the session is invalid. "We shall apply for a court order declaring all bills passed after our walkout from the house as null and void, and also the immediate suspension of the house's sitting," said Ntaba.

He bemoaned the apparent lack of interest shown by competent bodies like the Law Society of Malawi and the Public Affairs Committee in the controversy.

AFORD walked out of parliament some few weeks ago in protest against the appointment of Aford MP Melvyn Moyo as a cabinet minister and the failure by the Speaker of the National Assembly to declare seats of Aford ministers in government vacant after the dissolution of the UDF/Aford coalition. MCP walked out as a matter of principle in support of Aford.

The house has so far passed the Local Government Election Bill and the Gaming Bill without the presence of the opposition.

7 400 PRISONERS WALK FREE

President Bakili Muluzi on July 5 pardoned and released 400 prisoners on the occasion of the country's 32nd anniversary of independence.

Chief Commissioner of Prisons Wiskes Mwale said 19 of the pardoned prisoners were females serving various prison terms.

He said for reasons of public security, those prisoners who are convicted of and are serving prison terms for armed robbery, robbery with violence, rape, defilement, indecent assault, house breaking, theft burglary, possession of fire arms without permit and escape from lawful custody, will not find their way out.

8 DEATH OF WORKS AND SUPPLIES MINISTER

Alhaji Shaibu Itimu, one of the leading Muslim personalities to have surfaced during the fight for multiparty democracy, died on July 10 after a long illness.

Itimu, who until his death was Works and Supplies Minister, had been educated up to university level through and benefited from former president Kamuzu Banda's financial support. He had been in hospital in South Africa for several weeks due to illness and only returned home a few days before his death.

Burial, following full Islamic rites, took place on July 12 at his home in Machinga, south Malawi with President Bakili Muluzi among the thousands of sympathisers paying their last respects to the late minister.

Itimu, 46, was the country's fourth leading political personality to die within a space of two weeks. UDF MP for Blantyre city central, Witness Makata, MCP prominent politician and ex-police chief, McWilliam Lunguzi and Justice and Attorney General (who was also UDF's Treasurer), and General Collins Chizumila, have all died within the past two weeks.

In the present new political dispensation, Itimu was one of the most vocal and bitter critics of his mentor and everything that the name of Kamuzu represented.

He is survived by two wives and nine children.

9 MULUZI'S VEILED WARNING

President Bakili Muluzi recently issued a veiled warning to his critics and political opponents that he will not stand by while people "who never in the first place supported the multiparty movement," go about "trying to destroy the foundations of democracy in the country". Muluzi was speaking at the installation ceremony of Chief Nyambi in his home district, Machinga.

Using his typical Chichewa ( the most widely spoken local language) slogans Muluzi declared that whether anyone liked it or not, he is the president of Malawi until 1999 and he ruled out completely any possibility of someone else taking over the reins of power from him before his party's term of office is over.

He warned "people who wish others evil" and said that he would not tolerate "people who are possessed with demons" and would also not tolerate those who undermine or underrate his administration.

On the same day, Muluzi announced that several junior chiefs in the country had been upgraded to full traditional authorities.

10 KUWAIT HELP FOR DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development is to provide Malawi with a MK150 million (US$15 million) loan for various development projects. The Fund's director general, Bader al-Humaidi, while on a visit to the country, said his organisation was waiting for the completion of feasibility studies on the projects which include irrigation and road construction.

Negotiations for the loan were initiated last year when a number of projects, including agriculture, irrigation, posts and telecommunications and transport were submitted for consideration. A follow-up mission on the proposed projects, held July 4 to 9 last year agreed on the following priority projects:

Naminga-Nsanama-Bselema-Chiponde-Mangoch Road (138km)

Midima-Ngulundi-Nguludi Road (63.5km)

Mwanza-Neno-Tsangano Road (128km)

Land Resettlement Project

Liwilezi Irrigation Project

Karonga-Chitipa Road

Technical experts are currently working on the feasibility studies for the land resettlement project and for some of the roads. Officials representing the Kuwait Fund have also indicated willingness to lend Malawi about Mk150 million (US$10 million ) for the implementation of the telephone service improvement project in southern Malawi.

The implementation of the projects is estimated to start early next year.

11 MALAWI BEAT TANZANIA IN SOCCER FRIENDLY

Malawi and Tanzania drew 1 all on July 9 in the third and last friendly soccer match, played in the northern city of Mzuzu.

The two teams played three games, one in each of the country's cities, as part of Malawi's republic celebrations which started on July 6.

Malawi, alias Flames, beat the visiting team 3-2 in the first game in Blantyre on July 6 and went on to win again 1-0 in Lilongwe on July 7.

12 MALAWI IN THE OLYMPICS

27 June . Two athletes, both marathon runners - John Mwathiwa and Henry Moyo - are the only two Malawians due to represent the land of the lake at the Olympic games in Atlanta. Four others were dropped at the last minute. Among the four dropped are two marathon runners and two tennis players.

Malawi did not participate in the All Africa pre-Olympic qualifying games held in Harare, Zimbabwe and, as a result, no single Malawian athlete qualified for the games. They have nevertheless been invited.

The Olympic squad accompanied by four officials sponsored separately left the country on June 27 for Mississippi where they will stay while enroute to Atlanta for the games which start soon.

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From: AfricaNN@inform-bbs.dk (Africa_news Network) Subject: News From Malawi Date: 18 Jul 1996 15:23:15 GMT Message-Id: <1951526910.4702783@inform-bbs.dk>

Editor: Ali B. Ali-Dinar

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