Long term plans to build 6 new teachers houses for Satemwa school, a government primary school bordering Chizinja village, were given the final green light today by the JB board.
Under this ambitious project, the JB trust have taken out a long term lease for ‘peppercorn’ rent from Satemwa Ltd of 0.25 hectares of land in a central location bordering the shops and the school. The JB commissioned a land survey to demarcate the plot using GPS marker beacons. Following this the JB entered into a tender process with local and national contractors to find the optimum designs and best way of implementing such a large-scale project.
Pabe Civil Engineering and Building Contractors, from Blantyre, provided the winning bid. The project is planned to take 3 months and cost MK11.9million ($86,000) over 3 staged payments. The JB also negotiated penalty clauses with the technical assistance from Satemwa’s General Manager, Robert Emmott, to ensure the building works were completed in a timely manner.
The project has been in the pipeline for some years since members of Chizinja village started their own savings fund to build teachers houses. They have been concerned about losing some of their best teachers in the past into the cities due to lack of good teachers housing in the area. Parents are concerned that their children receive good tuition in English and have the best chance of winning places at secondary schools.
The school has benefitted from new teaching blocks , provided through Satemwa Tea Estate and the Tea Association, new desks, improved lighting and electrics and ecodome toilets (from the JB). In addition, higher teacher earnings from salaries through the adult literacy programme and the prospect of new housing is helping motivate teachers and keep the good ones in the area.
Satemwa school achieved record Standard 8 exam results and places for students into premium secondary schools this year.
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