Shortage of desks hit Chisomo Community School in Chipata

About 1,000 pupils at Chisomo Streamside Community School in Chipata are learning in deplorable classrooms.
A check by Breeze News found that nearly all classrooms do not have desks for the pupils to sit on when learning.
But Acting Head Teacher Mary Gumbo says the school has received 40 frame desks from DEBS, the District Education Board Secretary’s office, which are yet to be assembled for use.
Mrs. Gumbo says the school has been teaching pupils while sitting on the floor adding that it is by chance that the school recorded a 60 per cent pass rate in the last exams.
She says out of 118 pupils who sat for grade seven examinations in 2015 at Chisomo Streamside Community School, 71 pupils made it to grade eight.
Mrs. Gumbo says that despite the number of pupils per class being over 100, the commitment by teachers has seen the school producing good grade seven results.