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Construction of a Private Level School Submitted by Niall Dorey, Director Beehive School Introduction Mzuzu is the administration centre for the northern region of Malawi and as such is a fast growing development area. The city is bginning to attract a number of provate companies and NGO offices. Decentralization policies in Malawi mean that all government ministries are represented in the city. With growing numbers of international families coming to work in the area, it became evident that there was no school in Mzuzu which could cater satisfactorily in terms of standards and resources for the children of these families, as well as for the growing number of professional Malawians living or transferring to the area. The advent of the University of Mzuzu has also led to the influx of numbers of professional academic staff who demand quality schooling for their children. The private schools which already exist have unacceptably large classes (50-70 pupils), and teaching and learning standards do not comply with current international norms. Several young families and businesses have already left Mzuzu on account of the poor quality of education available to their children. There is an obvious lack of quality international education in the northern region. This lack is beginning to discourage further international involvement and financial investment in the region. A model school with close links to the local community but run on UK / US lines will help to halt the increasing deterioration in standards in the government and private schools. It will laso attract the developmment community and professional families who otherwise leave for Blantyre or Lilongwe where such quality schools already exist. Niall Dorey, a trained primary teacher from the UK, taught at one of the local private schools in 2001 and, recognising the need for a quality primary school in the city, opened his own school in 2003 with just 8 pupils. Since then the "Beehive" school has been growing steadily on a rented property with additional temporary classrooms built around the house. The school year 2006 finished with a total of 103 pupils and an excellent reputation in the area. The active Parent Teacher Association (PTA) has encouraged Niall to put in an application for land in the city where more permanent structures can be erected. Registration with the District Education office and the Private Schools Association of Malawi (PRISAM) has also been initiated, and links made with other international schools in the country. The standard of English in the school is exceptional and the current results have shown that pupils are performing well up to the required standard of international education. Niall has continued to foster links with schools and educators in the UK, who assist with donations of books and some resources. Parental support and involvement is high and there is a good mix of international and local parents. As headteacher, Niall also runs internal teacher training schemes in order to enable qualified local teachers to provide an international level pupil-centered curricululm. Of the six full-time teachers currently employed, two come from Malawi, one from Tanzania, one from Zambia, one from the UK and one from USA. The ratio of men to women is equal.
Aims To create a high quality school suitable for both Malawian and international students and to deliver an international (UK) curriculum within a Malawian context which will enable children to proceed with international education anywhere, and will equip local children with the skills and knowledge required by Malawi National Examinations Board (MANEB). To build good quality school structures on a designated plot within Mzuzu city comprising classroom blocks, library, IT suite, music facilities, administration block and sports facilities To continue offering excellent education opportunities for all pupils and teachers in the region and to deveop close community links, in areas such as teacher training, HIV/AIDS education, family and health awareness, play schemes, sports and environmental clubs etc.
Plan Phase 1:
Estimated Costs Please click here to go to a breakdown of costs.
Further Development After completing primary education facilities there will be further need to look at secondary level provision in the northern region, with the intention of feeding into this from primary. Other areas in which Mzuzu is lacking are family and youth recreation facilities (there are no parks, no swimming pools, no amenities for the family of any kind), teacher training colleges, professional development centres and community centres. Contact Details Niall Dorey |
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