Nine-street connected children who sat for the 2023/2024 Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) examinations, have defied the odds by being among students who have been selected to pursue undergraduate degree programmes in public universities the 2024/2025 academic year.
The 9 are among students supported by a Lilongwe-based organisation called “One Step Foundation”.
The organisation’s Executive Director Moses Mwalabu has expressed delight with the news, saying with proper support, street-connected children have the potential to perform better in school.
Mwalabu said the students have reached the milestone despite facing various challenges in the streets.
“People should understand that the learners we are talking about here are children who were operating from the streets and are children with virtually no where to call home,” said Mwalabu.
Out of the 9, 6 are boys while 3 are girls.
“We have 1 from Mzuzu city, 3 from Lilongwe City, 2 from Blantyre city while 4 are from Zomba city,” said Mwalabu.
The organisation has since appealed to well wishers to support the students with learning materials as they prepare to start life as university students.
The Civil Society Education Coalition executive director Benedicto Kondowe, has commended the students for achieving the feat.
He has since asked government to support the students to access loans to help them pursue their studies.
The National Council for Higher Education on Thursday released names of students selected to pursue various undergraduate degree programmes in the county’s public Universities and Colleges.
