Young girl, Fainesi Kamanga, and her former English teacher, Evelyn Makwakwa Mahimanya, the Lilongwe City South-East Constituency’s 2016 Malawi Primary School Leaving Certificate Examination (MPSLCE) best student and teacher respectively, got an extraordinary treat on Thursday, of a luxurious return flight from Lilongwe to Blantyre and a shopping galore voucher from legislator, Bentley Namasasu as recognition for their outstanding achievement.
The Lilongwe City South-East Constituency legislator, Hon. Namasasu shuttled the two on Thursday morning to Kamuzu International Airport where they board Malawian Airlines to Chileka International Airport then spent hours of shopping in towns of Limbe and Blantyre before their return to Lilongwe in the evening hours of the day.
This luxurious treat was a fulfillment of promise made by Hon. Namasasu to standard 8 pupils who sat for the 2016 MPSLCE in all schools within his area and their teachers of a return air ticket from Lilongwe to Blantyre and a shopping voucher to the best pupil and teacher whose class will come on top of the pass list. Mlodza Primary School pupil, Fainesi, 13, passed the Standard 8 national examinations with A’s in all six subjects at and was selected to start her secondary school studies at St. Mary’s Karonga Secondary School.
From the same school, a lot of students passed well in English subject taught by Evelyn Makwakwa. “Today has been a wonderful day to me because I didn’t expect to board an airplane and this is my first time.” Said Faines at KIA after arrival from Blantyre “I heard our MP delivering a promise at our school that a leaner who will pass standard 8 national examinations will win a return air ticket from Lilongwe to Blantyre. I started to work extra hard in my studies immediately. Finally today I have enjoyed the flight from Lilongwe to Blantyre and return back to Lilongwe.” She explained
She encouraged other students to work extra hard saying “hard work pays.” Muloza Primary School teacher, Evelyn Makwakwa described the experience as “a very enjoyable trip.” “I have enjoyed it because it is my first time to be on board and it is my life time history. Am very excited, am very appreciative and I have appreciated what the honourable MP has done to me, to my family, to my community and again to my school where I am teaching. This is an inspiration whereby it is promoting girl child education.” She said She continued to thank Honorable Namasasu saying “This is a big encouragement to both leaners and teachers that they should work hard.”
And further encouraged fellow teachers to work hard. A Mathematics teacher in Standard 8 at Mlodza Primary School, Selina Ganje Kumwenda who joined several other teachers to welcome Faines and Makwakwa at KIA said “We are very pleased and the MP has encouraged us a lot.” She said this development has motivated more teachers not only from Mlodza school but from all primary schools in Lilongwe City South-East constituency and has since assured that teachers including herself will do more to make sure that they become next teacher to get the return air ticket.
Speaking in an interview, Honourable Namasasu emphasised that the ultimate goal of giving the two air tickets and shopping vouchers to best pupil and a teacher is to ensure that leaners are working hard in school and motivate teachers to continue doing a good job of helping pupils.
“The intention is to encourage our youth to work hard in school because that is their future.” He said adding “I hope that these teachers having seen their fellow teacher getting air ticket, they will get motivated and begin to work hard in class.” He assured that the initiative will continue and has also encouraged people of goodwill to introduce number of incentives that can also motivate pupils and teachers to work hard.