Speaking at the official handover of the K160 million facility to the school, Minister of Education Agnes Nyalonje said the new facility will help to improve the performance of learners at the school.

Nyalonje says shortage of hostels in public schools remains a big challenge which government alone cannot address.

She has since commended Standard Bank and Press Trust for constructing the twin hostel at the school but urged the students and management to take good care of the facility.

Nyalonje said; “It now means that here at Lilongwe Girls secondary School the challenges that was being faced by the girls and the management of the school in accommodating has been solved. For quiet sometime now, the girls were having to sleep in the classrooms.”

Standard Bank chief executive officer Philip Madinga and Audrey Mwala, a trustee at Press Trust say they decided to make the donation as a way of preventing school dropouts and early marriage among the girls.

Madinga and Mwala trustee of Press Trust say they hope that the donation will assist in addressing numerous challenges girls are facing.

“The hostel that we donating today, through this partnership, has been has been provided to alleviate the challenge that the girls were facing. Girls should not continue to sleep in classrooms,” Mandinga said.

Headmistress for the school Beatrice Nungu said: “Out of the 648 students, only 576 had beds to sleep on.”

“I urge well-wishers to continue helping in the education sector by addressing the problems that different schools are facing in order for the students to have access to quality education.”

Written By Doreen Shamiel-ZBS