The Mansa Municipal Council has delivered 100 mattresses to Matanda Combined School procured at a total coat cost of K124,000 under the Mansa Central Constituency Development Fund.
Matanda Combined School is the only school offering secondary education in Chibeleka Ward – Matanda Chiefdom. The school which is about 67Km from the Central Business District is currently serving communities within a 20 km radius.
Despite not being a gazetted boarding school, Matanda Combined School has a 40-bedsitter dormitory which currently houses girls only in order to cushion learning by allowing the girls to focus on their education as opposed to trekking long distances every day.
The Schools Head teacher, Mr. Bulambo Lemmy disclosed that the pupils in the boarding facility were sharing mattresses before the new mattresses were delivered by the Local Authority.
“At the moment the dormitory has 40 bed spaces and unfortunately, the girls sleep two-two and others sleep on the floor, a situation which is not hygienic, just so that they do travel every day to come to school and go back to their homes” added Mr. Bulambo.
The Head Teacher added that the new mattresses will solve the insufficient mattresses problem as all the beds in the dormitory will have mattresses.
He added that some of the mattresses would be given to the boys whose accommodation is not within the school premises but was outsourced within the villages.
“The pupils come from very far places like Chansa, Mipolombo and Chikonshi Zones in the ward, while others come from Mansa town which has created the demand for boarding spaces from both the girls and the boys who want dormitories within the school premises” added Mr. Bulambo.
Meanwhile, Mr. Bulambo thanked the Government of the Republic of Zambia for the increased Constituency Development Fund which has contributed positively to the maintenance and management of the Matanda Combined School.
“In 2021, a 1X2 Laboratory was constructed under CDF, we have received 165 desks bought using the 2023 CDF and lastly, we have received 100 mattresses also bought using the 2023 CDF”, he said.
Mr. Bulambo has further requested for more support to be channeled towards the school in order to help smoothen its operations,
“Matanda Combined School currently has about 1500 pupils, and it is only growing, especially with the free education policy that is why we are asking Government to help us through different avenues to build ablution blocks, water reticulation and more dormitories for both boys and girls and Classroom blocks,” said Mr. Bulambo
The Matanda Combined School Head teacher added that the school administration hopes to see more children in school and in boarding as through the school management, vices such as alcohol consumption, teenage pregnancies and drug abuse can be curtailed in order to secure the children’s futures in the ward.
