Lilongwe Academy has become the first school to be crowned champions of Beautify Malawi (Beam) ‘My Clean School, My Pride’ competition.
The competition is under Clean Schools Project which targets both public and private education centres to ensure good sanitation and waste management practices in schools.
Speaking during the prize presentation ceremony at Sanjika Palace in Blantyre on Friday, Beam founder first lady, Gertrude Mutharika, called on parents and teachers in the country to instill a spirit of sanitation in the country’s children.
The first lady said instilling a culture of cleanliness in young people is the surest way of creating a clean and green Malawi for now and the future.
She said on the day the competition was launched, Malawi put the responsibility of creating a beautiful Malawi into the rightful drivers.
Only private schools participated in this inaugural competition which was launched on October 30 2015 and Mutharika said Beam decided to pilot the campaign in private schools as a learning experience before rolling it out in public schools.
She said the expectation is that the pupils will become change agents by replicating the practice in their homes and communities
The first lady said she will be happy to see that sanitation clubs are formed in schools to promote sanitation for healthy living.
“Beautify Malawi thought of the idea of working with the students in schools realising that when you train a child, you have trained the future generation.
“The expectation is that these students will become change agents by replicating the practice in their homes and communities,” Mutharika said.
For becoming the champions, the academy has received a 5000-litre water tank, a flat screen, a desktop, wheel barrows and several other materials to be used in keeping the school clean and green.
The school’s Principal Richard Chikudo said the mindset of children at the school in terms of sanitation has changed.
“Pupils at our school have embraced the culture of cleanliness. It is always difficult to deal with pupils as you know they just throw pieces of paper and other small things anyhow. But when the competition was launched at our school last year we made a deliberate strategy for the trophy to be ours. We are happy to be champions and we are optimistic that come next year we will retain the trophy,” Chikudo said.
President for Independent Schools Association of Malawi (Isama) Joseph Patel said the competition has improved sanitation in schools.
St. Patrick’s High School of the Southern Region is second while Phwezi Girls Private Secondary School of the Northern Region is on third position.
Apart from national prizes, regional champions also received their prizes during the ceremony.
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