News Archives - Page 3 of 5 - Bambino Private Schools

High School – End of Term Newsletter

Posted on August 14, 2019August 15, 2019 by admin

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We have now come to the end of the 3^rd Term, in the 2018/2019 Academic year. We hope that you have had a wonderful as well as productive academic year. This term has seen further developments towards academic excellence and we have rounded-up the current academic year with a lot of activities which among others include: public examinations, international trips, the 2018/2019 School leavers graduation and programs geared towards social and well-being of our students.

First of all, we would like to extend our sincere thanks and appreciation as you have entrusted us with your children/ward for this academic year as well as remitting examination fees, school fees on time and the valuable communication fostered in the various platforms provided and made available.

Term Programs

The 2019 Cambridge Examinations were conducted and concluded on 13th June 2019 and our students were commended for the admirable conduct during this period.

The 2019 MSCE Examinations were also concluded in the month of June, with further commendation for our students who conducted themselves very well.

The 2019 Graduation ceremony was successfully held on 15th June 2019 and was well patronized by parents and guardians though some could not attend due to the distance they had between the city and their location at that time. From the postmortem we conducted, it turned out to be our best event with unqualified success.

The international school trips, i.e. German trip to Ghana; German Student Exchange trip to Germany are currently underway as our student groups have arrived at their destinations and are on course with their schedules. Sadly, we had to cancel the Open trip to Zambia-Zimbabwe-Botswana because of low remittance of funds from parents and we couldn’t facilitate the prior logistics. However, we will have the trip rescheduled for the first term of the next academic year during the mid-term holiday. Please support your child or ward in time so that we can have the trip.

Parents and Teachers Association

We would like to offer our appreciation once again for your unwavering support towards the running of the PTA. As mentioned at the beginning of the term, there is a reliable flow of information through the class “WhatsApp” groups as well as other means as requested by some parents. Let’s continue to support each other through this grouping. We are still updating our system from time to time and would therefore like to request that you forward the latest email address to the class teachers as soon as possible so that we provide you with access to the parents portal in our system where you can access valuable details about your child at the school.

Discipline

As is the case in all schools, discipline at the school is crucial and we have had to expel some students for serious offenses and in line with this, we rolled out a “Code of Conduct” enclosed in the school report packets of Term 2 so that you and your child/ward should have ample time to go through the document and in the end complete the details at the end then return the document to school through the class teachers. If for any reason you have not had the chance to do so, please contact us through your child’s class teacher and request for the copy so that you are well acquainted with it’s contents and append your approval.

We would also like to inform parents to provide your children/wards with the appropriate school uniform, sports kit and ensure that your child/ward is well dressed for school as well as having school standard hair style. Please take advantage of the long break to replenish uniform sets for your child or ward. Our uniform stores is always open during the holidays.

All exercise books are also to be taken care of by covering with a see-through plastic cover with NO scribbling or dirtying so that subject material is easy to follow through and enable easy access to content. Please remind your child or ward that most of the content in the current exercise books will be required in the next academic year as they progress to the next level of their studies.

School Fees

School fees are to be completed on time, i.e. by the end of the 2^nd month in a term. As per school policy, after the 20^th of a month, fee checking commences. For those who are on the fee payment plan, we urge you to honor our agreement, and most importantly for those who can manage to do so, please pay fees in advance. For those who are yet to complete fees payment due to some unforeseen circumstances, we urge you to do so as soon as possible and if there are any discrepancies or there is a need to reconcile payments, our accounts office is always ready to assist using your remittances and receipts or bank transfer confirmation.

After Management held consultative meetings, it has been resolved that school fees be adjusted upwards with a view to cater for rising inflation as well as incorporating examination fees, spread over a longer period of a child’s progression leading to the Exam year so that we overcome the current burden faced by both parents and the school in collecting school fees and exam fees, as a large chunk. This has already been tried and tested in the MANEB stream and for the past years, it has worked to everyone’s benefit. The fees structure from September 2019 will be as follows:

MANEB CLASSES

Form 1 and 2	350,000
Form 3	365,000
Form 4	385,000

CAMBRIDGE CLASSES

Form 1 and 2	380,000
Form 3	395,000
Form 4	500,000
Form 5	500,000
Form 6	570,000

Much appreciation goes to the parents/guardians who have since paid fees in advance for 3^rd Term.

All fees must be deposited into the school fees account. Below are the details:

Account Name	Bambino Schools
Account Number	1227599
Bank	National Bank
Branch	Capital City
Fax	01761372
Email	admin@bambinoschool.org secondary@bambinoschool.org

Remember to send the deposit slip, remittance or bank transfer details to our Accounts Office in person, through fax or email.

Be reminded that the ‘fee payment plan’ is an official scheme for which you have to apply in person and upon approval, you would be taken through completing the documentation and we will thus honor our agreement as per ‘fee payment plan’. Deciding to defer payment unilaterally does not qualify being on a ‘fee payment plan’ neither does sending word of mouth nor a note to the school through a student.

2019 IGCSE/A LEVEL October/November Examinations

The window for remitting examination fees opened on 15^th May 2019 and will close on 10^th August 2019. If you have a student scheduled or wishing to sit for examinations during this session, please request a letter giving a quote of the exam fees and payment details from the Head-teacher’s office as soon as possible. After the closing date, late entry fees apply on top of each subject fee.

All students who are sitting for a selected number of subjects during the 2019 May/June session are expected back in class as we open the next term on 2nd September 2019. Please be reminded that this is a requirement for internal candidates sitting for exams at Cambridge Centres and if your child or ward does not turn up, we will make that student an external candidate.

Communication

All communication should be made through our normal and official channels, official phone number; office bearer’s personal phone number; class “WhatsApp” groups; class teacher’s personal phone number; email: secondary@bambinoschools.org; verbally and in writing. Let us inform one another of absences and let us timely communicate alterations to normal schedules so that we lessen disruption to school related activities. We thank all parents who continually use the official channels to communicate with the school and the curtesy you have afforded us in doing so.

We look forward to serving you in the next academic year of 2010/2020. Please remember that our offices remain open during the holidays and we are available to attend to queries and facilitations.

R. THOM	D. PHIRI
DEPUTY HEADTEACHER ADMINISTRATION	DEPUTY HEADTEACHER ACADEMICS

BOARDING SECTION NEWS LETTER – TERM 3

Posted on August 13, 2019August 13, 2019 by admin

Dear Parents/Guardians

Greetings to you all our dear parents and guardians. We hope this letter finds you in a sound health state. Term 3 as well as the academic year 2018 / 2019 has come to an end. As usual, we do not take your support and trust for granted. You have allowed us yet another term and year to be take care of your wards. We believe we have done our best and still hope to continue doing all we can to help them grow up responsible and independent beings. Bambino boarding is and shall remain A HOME AWAY FROM HOME.

Besides just staying with your wards day in day out and encouraging them to study and make progress academically, the boarding section organizes extra activities to keep the children entertained and well exposed to the world around them. The children learn how make their own beds, clean their own utensils and wash their own clothes. They also learn how to manage their own finances and little resources like the snacks you buy them. We also have time to do sporting activities, watch movies or go out for special trips. Thank you to all the parents who supported our field trip to Liwonde National park at the end of term 1. The school’s management has now set us a policy that boarding students should be having such outings in term 1 annually to avoid colliding with those organized in the academic sections in terms 2 and 3.

This year we have seen more and more of our boarding students excelling outstandingly in various respects of the school life. For example; the following students were among the top 3 of their classes in academic performances:

	Name	Class
1	Samuel Kasamile	Form 5
2	Panashe Bell Kawalewale	Form 5
3	Bramwell Musyimi	Form 4A
4	Jonathan Nyirenda	Form 4A
5	Silvia Williams	Form 2A
6	Nthambi Bokosi	Form 2A
7	Grace Williams	Standard 6N
8	Deborah Bonga	Standard 5

Thank you again for visiting your wards on the specifically set dates. Most of you came only on these set visiting days. Of course we would still like to appeal to a few of you who still seem to have doubts in the abilities of your wards’ ability to be independent and responsible beings. Your frequent visits may not help your wards much in these respects.

The school continues to do character development activities which we would like to encourage you to share with your wards what they usually learn during morning devotional assemblies and on Sundays’ joint devotional meetings.

We would also like to remind you that our school policy says ALL BOARDING FEES MUST BE PAID UP BY THE TIME YOUR WARD COMES BACK TO SCHOOL. No fees no entry into the hostels. So please, let’s start now to think of preparing for or even paying our wards’ boarding fees so that when it’s time for their return, you would avoid the inconveniences that may arise if you have to be sent back.

We would also like to remind you of our basic uniform requirements; each child is expected to have at least two sets of these. This helps your ward to be able to wash one set everyday but be able to go to school proper attire the following day. Your wards are also expected to have their own cup, plate, spoon, fork for use in the dining.

Announcements

School closes on 19^th July 2019 and will reopen on 2^nd September 2019. Boarders will be expected to return on the 1^st of September 2019 by or before 1700. Please let’s observe these times to avoid inconveniences. If you cannot make it on the Sunday you will risk being asked to bring your ward the following Sunday since arrival of boarders shall, from now onwards be monitored by more teaching staff members in addition to our normal boarding personnel so we do not want to disturb these teachers during the week days.
Fees shall, effective 1^st September 2019, be as follows:

Nursery

Baby Class, Toddler Class and Middle Class	180,000
Day Care	70,000
Reception	200,000

PRIMARY

Standard 1-4	290,000
Standard 5-7	330,000

SPECIAL NEEDS (SEND)

350,000

HIGH SCHOOL

(MANEB)

Form 1 and 2	350,000
Form 3	365,000
Form 4	385,000

(Cambridge)

Form 1 and 2	380,000
Form 3	395,000
Form 4	500,000
Form 5	500,000
Form 6	570,000

BOARDING FEES

320,000
Medical 50,000
Registration and Admission Fee 22,000

We believe some of you had heard that we were planning to introduce a students’ phone access over weekends. After consulting with you through our questionnaire, we have noted that the majority of you are not for this idea. Therefore, the school management have decided not to implement this policy. This, therefore, entails that your wards are not allowed to bring and keep phones in the hostels. We understand that some of the children travel long distances on their own and there may be need to be communicating with them on their way to or from school. We ask you to encourage them to surrender their phones as soon as they arrive at the hostels. We will keep the phones and give them back when the need arises or at the end of the term. If they are discovered to be keeping the phone in the hostels at any time, the phone shall be confiscated.
There shall be summer classes for the primary school from 29^thJuly 2019 to 23^rd August 2019. This will cost mk35,000 and shall be payable on registration

Once again, our valued and dear parent, we would like to wish you all the best with you wards during this long holiday.

S. Kanjala	F. Mzungu
Boarding Master	Matron

Primary – End of Term Newsletter

Posted on August 8, 2019August 13, 2019 by admin

We have come to the end of 2018/19 academic year in which positive things were achieved. Among them was the introduction of parent’s portal which allows our parents and guardians to check for fees payments made, balances as well as school reports at the click of a button in the comfort of our homes or offices. We encourage all parents to familiarize themselves with the system as we are moving away from paper era to paperless operations. Your class teachers are trained to be able to assist you achieve this. The first step is to get the correct ID number for your ward, then register into the system by inputting the ID number, name of ward, your E-mail address, password, verify and you are registered and ready to access.

Standard 7 Cambridge Results came out and a graduation ceremony was held at the Bambino school grounds. We had a total of 25 distinctions with one student getting all three distinctions in English, Mathematics and Science; 6 getting two distinctions and the overall pass rate was 90%. Standard 1 -7 students were given awards and certificates by both the school and the PTA. We are thankful to the PTA.

The school also participated in a Peace Run-a global initiative that promotes peace. This was aired on Sunrise Zodiak TV. You can follow what happened on this website https://vimeo.com/peacerun/malawi2019

School officially closes on Friday 19th of July and opens on 2nd September 2019. Those interested in summer lessons will be available from 29th July to 23rd August at a cost of K35, 000 payable on registration.

Take note that for standard 6 classes they should all attend the summer lessons in our quest to improve results. They will be taught the three subjects which are examinable in Cambridge checkpoint. This is our quest to improve results. Let not your child miss out. Classes will be starting from 8:00 am to 12:00 noon.

School Fees for 2019/2020 have been slightly adjusted as follows:

Standard 1 – 4
- K290, 000.00 from K250, 000.00 per term.
Standard 5 -7
- K330, 000.00 from K270, 000.00 per term.

Fees must be deposited into the school’s account:

Bank Name	National Bank
Branch	Capital City
Account Name	Bambino Schools
Account Number	1227599

After depositing the money into the bank remember to always give the cashier the deposit slip to get a receipt. We still remain the most competitive, whilst we continue to offer quality service.

School Bus Service

The school will continue providing the bus service at an affordable price. However, despite charging lower than others, some fail to owner us on time and it affects our service a lot. We therefore appeal for quick payments to help improve the service. Payments are done every four weeks and normally we have three payments in a term. We are also introducing this bus service in Likuni in September.

Bus fees remain unchanged as follows:

One way
- K20, 000 per month
Two ways
- K25, 000 per month

Registration

We would like also to inform all parents and guardians that we have limited space for standard one and those who wish their wards to start in that grade this coming academic year should come as soon as possible to register at a fee of K22, 000.

We wish you quality time with your wards and congratulate all of them as they graduate into the next grade.

D.Makuta

Headmaster

Peace Run 2019

Posted on June 26, 2019June 26, 2019 by admin

Bambino Primary School was privileged to participate in the 2019 Peace Run-a worldwide initiative to share and celebrate peace in the 44 counties that are in the Southern Hemisphere. The theme of the peace run was Peace begins with me, Peace begins with us. Bambino Primary was among three schools in Lilongwe selected for this Peace Run and there was no better event and occasion than this one to resonate on our Character Development Program which is centered on a broad number of virtues which all have a bearing on peace and harmony among people and Nations. The interviews done by the head teacher and standard 7 learners all emphasized on what we could do together as one united family and people to promote peace and unity. The school pledged to continue with its endeavors to promote peace and harmony through its various programs that include sports, clubs, service projects and the classroom activities. It was encouraging to see the enthusiasm by both teachers and learners on this day and are hopeful that the message has been taken home and parents will lead from the front in promoting peace in the family set up.

*A game of guess which learners enjoyed so much*

Peace Run Summary

A Lap run by international team and Bambino teachers.
A presentation on the rationale behind the Peace Run by the international team.
A game to guess where some of the participants were coming from[countries].
Holding of the torch by all learners and teachers.
Interviews Zodiac TV –The head teacher, Sheena Fulutuna and Oswald Mtupira.

Learners and teachers holding the torch, which symbolizes a commitment to make the world a peaceful place to live in.

**Look out for the program which is going to be aired on Zodiac TV on a date to be announced. The activities that took place can also be accessed on this link:

https://www.peacerun.org/mw/news/2019/0614/3511/

Our learners our values

Posted on May 18, 2019May 18, 2019 by admin

There are many myths and misconception about people with disabilities around the world.

Things like;

These people are not productive
They need guidance every time
They need to be treated differently
They are tragic people and deserve pity

But at Bambino Private Schools, Special Educational Needs and Disability Section, these myths and misconceptions are torn down. We can assure you that people/children with disabilities are none of the above. Instead they are courageous, happy, inspirational and brave.

Above: Our Special Needs practicing basic tailoring skills for starters

We count on their ability and not their disability

We embrace our differences, and value the fact that it’s nature — that everyone was born different from the other. It only takes a variation of activities to meet the needs of an individual person.

*One of our special learners making a mat*

Our learners our priority

At Bambino special educational needs, we use different approaches to learning that would accommodate and benefit every child despite his/her learning challenges. We involve our Special Educational Needs Learners in different activities and programs such as vocational training.

Vocational training program

With vocational training, our learners are now able to do tailoring, where despite the slow progress, they are able to sew rags neatly. Soon we move in to designing.

They are able to make mats fit for merchandise and can make one at an order.

They are also being trained in cooking, food handling , gardening, etc.

We now have a few more places for more special children. Hurry and enroll your child now!

Above: Standard 1 & 5 supporting special class world’s down syndrome day also known as a crazy socks days

Down Syndrome Awareness Day Presentation

Posted on March 21, 2019March 21, 2019 by admin

Down syndrome

Down Syndrome is a genetic disorder caused by an abnormal cell division which results in an extra full or partial copy of chromosome 21. Thus making a child born with three copies of chromosomes instead of only two.
Chromosome are rod-like structures that are found in all living cells, containing the chemical pattern that control how a human looks like

Causes

in every cell of a human body there is a nucleus – where genetic materials are stored in genes. Genes carry the codes responsible for all of our inherited traits and are grouped along rod-like structures called chromosomes. Typically the nucleus of each cell contains 23 pairs of chromosomes half of which is inherited from each parent; one from the mother and the other pair form the father giving the sum of 46 chromosomes in a cell. This is a normal cell division.
But with down syndrome, there is an abnormal cell division which involves the extra partial or full chromosome in chromosome 21.
Instead of having one pair on each chromosome a person has abnormal formation of chromosome 21 which has 3 copes instead of 2 giving a sum of 47 chromosomes in a cell.
So the presence of 47 chromosomes in the cells is what causes down syndrome.
Note: this is only when the chromosome 21 is affected

Types of down syndrome

There are three types of down syndrome which includes

Trisomy 21- this is the most common type of down syndrome. This is when there are more than 46 chromosomes present in every cell of the body i.e. instead of the usual 46, a person has 47. this covers 95% cases of down syndrome.
Translocation- this covers 4% of all cases of down syndrome. In this type chromosome 21 breaks off during the cell division and one of the pair attaches itself to chromosome 14. Despite this process the total number of chromosomes still remains 46, the presence of an extra chromosome 21 causes the characteristics of down syndrome.
Mosaicism- occurs when nondisjunction of chromosome 21 takes place in one but not all of the initial cells divisions after fertilization. When this happens there is mixture of type of cells, some containing the usual 46 chromosomes and the other 47. This counts 1% of the cases of down syndrome

Characteristics of people with Down Syndrome

People with down syndrome often have some common physical feature which is distinct
Shorter adult height
Round flattered face
Upward-slanting almond-shaped eyes
Short neck
Protruding tongue
Unusual shaped or small ears
Poor muscle tone
Broad short hand
Love for music and dance
etc

How it affects learning

People with down syndrome have some features that are common as presented above, however their mental reasoning and learning experience may vary
The demonstrate mild to moderate issues with thinking, reasoning and understanding
They will learn to pick up new skills their whole lives but may take longer to reach important goal such as walking
Some may have difficulty learning to speak or have difficult understanding speech , but some have little to no difficult in speaking
Many may experience slower learning rate and poor social skills
This could mean that the child will not progress through the normal schooling
It may also mean that he/she need to move through school more slowly or require extra help when learning certain topics
Poor short auditory memory
Some may needs to live with their families and receive assistance everyday tasks throughout their entire lives, while others are able to live with friends or even independently once they are grown.

How to help a down syndrome person

Children and adults with down syndrome can live a more successful life with the help from friends, family and teachers in the following ways
Create an inclusive classroom environment
Create an IEP (individualized education plan) for the child
Too much classroom supervision and assistant
Reinforcing positive behavior (they are attention seekers)
Make lessons shorter and appealing and also consolidate and reinforce previous lesson with concentration on basic skills and understanding
Spend extra time with children as they start learning to speak, demonstrate and teaching with to pronounce specific words as they may have trouble with it.
Allow children to have extra time to learn during school.
Share with others that those with down syndrome are more similar to everyone else than they are different

Epilepsy Day (Monday 11-2-2019)

Posted on February 8, 2019February 11, 2019 by admin

Epilepsy is a common condition that affects the brain and causes frequent seizures.

Seizures are bursts of electrical activity in the brain that temporarily affect how it works. They can cause a wide range of symptoms.

Epilepsy can start at any age, but usually starts either in childhood or in people over 60. It’s often lifelong, but can sometimes get slowly better over time.

Seizures can affect people in different ways, depending on which part of the brain is involved.

Possible symptoms include:

uncontrollable jerking and shaking – called a “fit”
losing awareness and staring blankly into space
becoming stiff
strange sensations – such as a “rising” feeling in the tummy, unusual smells or tastes, and a tingling feeling in your arms or legs
collapsing

Sometimes you might pass out and not remember what happened.

Read more about the symptoms of epilepsy.

When to get medical help

See your doctor if you think you might have had a seizure for the first time.

This doesn’t mean you have epilepsy, as a seizure can have several causes and sometimes they’re just a one-off, but you should see a doctor to find out why it happened.

Read about the tests for epilepsy you might have.

Call the emergency serivces for an ambulance if someone:

is having a seizure for the first time
has a seizure that lasts more than five minutes
has lots of seizures in a row
has breathing problems or has seriously injured themselves

Read about what to do if someone has a seizure.

Treatments for epilepsy

Treatment can help most people with epilepsy have fewer seizures or stop having seizures completely.

Treatments include:

medicines called anti-epileptic drugs – these are the main treatment
surgery to remove a small part of the brain that’s causing the seizures
a procedure to put a small electrical device inside the body that can help control seizures
a special diet (ketogenic diet) that can help control seizures

Some people need treatment for life. But you might be able to stop treatment if your seizures disappear over time.

Read more about treatments for epilepsy.

Living with epilepsy

Epilepsy is usually a lifelong condition, but most people with it are able to have normal lives if their seizures are well controlled.

Most children with epilepsy are able to go to a mainstream school, take part in most activities and sports, and get a job when they’re older.

But you may have to think about your epilepsy before you do things such as driving, certain jobs, swimming, using contraception and planning a pregnancy.

Advice is available from your doctor or support groups to help you adjust to life with epilepsy.

Causes of epilepsy

In epilepsy, the electrical signals in the brain become scrambled and there are sometimes sudden bursts of electrical activity. This is what causes seizures.

In most cases, it’s not clear why this happens. It’s possible it could be partly caused by your genes affecting how your brain works, as around one in three people with epilepsy have a family member with it.

Occasionally, epilepsy can be caused by damage to the brain, such as damage from:

a stroke
a brain tumour
a severe head injury
drug abuse or alcohol misuse
a brain infection
a lack of oxygen during birth

25 Years Anniversary

Posted on January 28, 2019January 28, 2019 by admin

Hello and Welcome,

Last year (2018), Bambino Schools celebrated 25 years of existence. Below is our digital magazine that highlights the ceremony of remembering the story of Bambino Schools and its achievements. Another way to viewing or downloading the PDF version of the magazine is by clicking here.

Bambino Schools Magazine

Posted on August 22, 2018September 16, 2018 by admin

We got a new magazine for Bambino Schools. to view it please click here

A Baha’i Serving the Children of Malawi

Posted on August 11, 2018August 18, 2018 by admin

Maina Mkandawire, 59 years old, became a teacher soon after she left the University of Malawi as a young woman. “My first responsibility was to build a house for my parents,” she tells me, “[because] all they could do was educate us.” Teaching was going to help pay the bills.

“Then you have to educate your own kids,” says Maina, who is a member of the Baha’i community here. She and her husband, Justin, have adopted two children, adding to their original three. She also supported her own siblings in the early years. “It means that, by the time you retire, you don’t have your own house.” But she says all this with a lightness, without any sense of an edge; these are just the facts of life.

Maina may not have her own house, but she does have her own school. Bambinos opened in 1993 with a pre-school; later, it added a secondary school and, together, they now have about 800 students. The playing field looks large enough to host a World Cup final, and the half-dozen school blocks are arranged neatly along paths decorated with flowers, trees and murals.

Maina and her colleagues even opened a new university, the University of Lilongwe, during the last year. She has a simple explanation for why she takes on more demands in life: “I wanted to do something for the people.”

Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, had few pre-schools in the early 1990s. Those that existed were “play schools,” with little educational substance. Bambinos was meant to be a place where “moral education and material education go hand-in-hand,” Maina tells me. And while Maina is a Baha’i, the school is secular. She says it is based on the “universal values expressed in Baha’i teachings,” but is not religious.

From Deep-frying to Deep thinking

Building the school took time. Maina had a few side jobs in the early years of her teaching career to earn extra money. She reared chickens, for example, and sold donuts. “My best business was making donuts,” Maina says. “It gave me the capital to build a nursery school. And it’s how I paid for teachers.”

The donuts helped. But Maina needed land and a building. She asked a local bank for a loan; the bank said no. Maina is sure that the refusal was because it was a woman who was asking. “Women can do things on their own … that needs to be acknowledged,” she says.

Justin, her husband, cajoled the local bank. It still refused, so Justin took his case to headquarters. Bank executives later visited Maina’s school, making a secret inspection, and were so impressed that they finally granted the loan and offered an open line of credit. Maina then found a government-owned plot of land that was allocated for education, and bought them out – for all of US$20. Bambinos was becoming real.

Going Far by Going Slow

In 1994, Malawi made primary education free. This boosted enrolment from 1.6 million children to 3 million. But the country was unprepared for such an increase. Teaching capacity, infrastructure, and even hygiene have all been compromised over the past 20 years because of the explosion in primary-age school children. Many village pre-schools operate with no funding and their teachers work for free. The schools have few basic resources and the children are sometimes under-nourished.

“There were no qualified teachers for the extra children,” Maina says. “The education system just went down. You could have people finishing high school but unable to speak English or even converse. It was a political statement – it didn’t have anything to do with education.”

The UN Development Programme says that Malawian children have a scholastic career of 10.8 years; in Iran, it’s 14.8 years, and in Canada the average duration of schooling is 16.3 years. Malawi’s primary school dropout rate is 50.9 percent and more than half of pre-teen children in Malawi leave school before finishing primary education. Only about eight percent of secondary students finish their studies.

Maina’s approach to Bambinos was defined by a more gradual approach – contrasting sharply with the government’s 1994 blitz. And completion of one’s education at Bambinos, for both primary and secondary students, girls and boys, is almost total.

According to Maina, student-to-teacher ratios at many free schools are extreme, with sometimes up to 100 students per teacher. At Bambinos, the average is 25 students to every teacher. And while Bambinos is not free, it is also not expensive. Working families, including farmers and other small business owners, can afford its fees.

“As you go forward,” Maina says, “you learn how to proceed, finding the right resources to support your next classes, and so on … You’re going with experience rather than just growing too big [too fast].”

Bambinos also offers its teachers extra training and other benefits: not only 50 percent discounted fees for their own children, but a pension scheme, funeral cover, and other benefits.

Part of Maina’s work at Bambinos involves “capacity-building.” The term is familiar to anyone working in development – and it is hardly controversial to say that the phrase is understood far less than it is used. But Maina says that when she uses the term, it means: “trying to help people live up to the responsibility you have given them.”

The vision, for Maina, was to train teachers who see their work “as a service,” and to cultivate students “who are excellent in character” as well as academically strong.

Intelligence Plus Character

Maina’s school resonated for me, deep in the “warm heart of Africa,” because it reminded me of Baha’i initiatives in 1930s Iran.

The Tarbiyat schools, opened by Baha’is during Reza Shah’s reign, were among the first modern schools to open in Iran and were soon seen as the best. The Persian word “tarbiyat” itself means “character,” and the schools became famous for attracting families beyond the Baha’i community – including the children of ministers and diplomats. (Bambinos, too, has at least one daughter of diplomats in its ranks.)

Maina is an educational pioneer in Malawi – and a part of her efforts is rooted in the early history of the Baha’is in Iran. But how does she regard her own efforts? “We are so rich,” Maina says. “We started with nothing but a positive mind and a vision of where we wanted to go. You do your best with it.” And as her students move between their classes, I can see Maina’s “best” running and laughing all around me.

Category: News