NTAMBANYAMA COLLEGE OPENS
NTAMBANYAMA COMMUNITY COLLEGE OPENS
There were smiles on 3rd August, 2015 among students at Ntambanyama in Thyolo following the opening of Ntambanyama community college. This is the second community college in the district after Milonga at Goliati. Since Malonga was the only college in Thyolo, some people failed to apply because of fears of distance to and from the college. That is why the Member of Parliament for Thyolo Thava, Mary Thom requested the government to build another community college.
According to Richard Chisuse, the board chairperson for Ntambanyama community college, the college is offering for courses as of now. These include carpentry & Joinery, Tailoring, Fabrication & Welding and Brick Laying. He also said that they have enrolled about 50 students.
“Among all the courses, the Tailors will only learn for 3 months because their work is simpler as compared to the other courses which are going to last for about 6 months. Right now, we require a minimum of Junior Certificate of Education (JCE) from the students,” added Chisuse.
Since there only four courses, the government so far has managed to employ 8 teachers, two in each class. Amos Daudi, one of the teachers for carpentry and Joinery said that the government released a vacancy for the people with qualifications and experience to apply so that they could be employed as teachers. After that, they had interviews and a 3 day workshop followed.
As of now, the students have started learning using the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Thoylo Thava Office as classes since the real college has not yet been built. This means that they are supposed to accommodate and feed themselves. After the college is built, it is going to be officially opened by either the President or the Minister of Labor.
Asking if they are going to help the students find work after they finish their courses, Chisuse said that the students will do their attachments in different companies and therefore they can be employed when they finish school because the college is under Technical Vocational Education and Training Authority (TEVETA). He however added that the students can also create their companies and employ others after they are taught. “Knowing that our students cannot afford to buy materials for them to start working after school, the college have discussed with TEVETA to give them loans after their graduation,” said Chisuse.
Alinafe Kapundi, one of the students doing carpentry said that being one of the pioneers of Ntambanyama Community College, she is very happy because she has been at home for a long time after writing her Malawi School Certificate of Education examinations. She therefore promises to work hard.
The Malawi Community College concept was in the ruling DPP’s manifesto. The students are paying MK100 and MK 3000 as registration and admission fees respectively.
