Teachers skipping classes due to phone network problem

Teachers skipping classes due to phone network problem

Lack of mobile phone network coverage in the area of Group Village Headman (GHV) Mwandambo in Karonga District is posing threat to education progress in the area as teachers skip lessons in order to travel to Songwe boarder to make phone calls. 

According to GVH Mwandambo, Ngana area is covered by Tanzanian mobile phone networks whose terms of condition of service and tariffs do not favor Malawians living in the border villages.

 For this reason, the chief said civil servants living in the area find work difficult because of communication problems.

Speaking in an interview on Tuesday, the chief said of all sectors affected, the education sector is the worst hit because children are left idle when their teachers travel to the boarder to make phone calls because it is where Malawian mobile phone networks are covered.

 “I am calling on Telekom Networks Malawi (TNM) and Airtel to consider extending network coverage to my area because as it stands pupils at primary schools in my area are not getting adequate education because their teachers are forced to travel to the Songwe boarder to get in touch with various people,” said Mwandambo.

He said this is affecting students’ performance in Primary Schools Leaving Certificate Examinations (PSLCE) because teachers do not complete syllabi in time. 

The chief however said he does not blame the teachers for the conduct because he realizes that communication plays a vital role in every person’s life especially in this digital age.

“I do not stand to condemn the teachers’ conduct because I know that there are other crucial matters that indeed require them to make phone calls for example enquiries about salaries  and they have no choice but to skip classes and get to the boarder to do that,” Mwandambo explained.

The area of GVH Mwandambo has Ngisi, Ngana, Kalulu and Muwisi primary school with over 800 pupils.

Responding to the concern, the office of Director of Planning and Development (DPD) at Karonga District Council said it is aware of the challenge and requests to TNM and Airtel were sent sometime back and the office is waiting for feedback.

Speaking on behalf of the DPD Peter Nyirenda asked the villagers to be patient because taking network coverage to an area is not a single day task.

“Our office understands the pain people of Ngana are going through but they should understand that it takes a number of logistical issues to be considered before network towers are installed, so we ask them to remain calm,” Nyirenda said.

“We are sure TNM and Airtel too are not happy to be losing customers to their Tanzanian counterparts and we believe they will come back to our office shortly so that we can help our friends in Ngana,” he added.

Songwe boarder lies 20 Kilometers from the headquarters of GVH Mwandambo.

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