LINDA SOKO TEMBO writes
CHILDREN should not be allowed to abandon school to herd cattle but instead should be helped to pursue education, says Headman Kalinde, (Adrian Banda) of Kawaza chiefdom in Katete district.
Headman Kalinde said as traditional leaders they had learnt good lessons about the importance of sending children to school so that illiteracy levels could be reduced in villages.
In an interview with the Sun, headman Kalinde said Chieftainess Kawaza last week sent 41 of her traditional leaders the headmen and indunas to Chief Saili’s chiefdom in Chipata district to learn the importance of keeping children in school.
He said Chief Saili’s Chiefdom did not have any children herding cattle to allow the young ones get an education.
He said that, once educated, the chances of them been picked by government and given jobs in different areas was high.
“As traditional leaders we were so privileged to visit chief Saili’s chiefdom to learn how to stop taking our children for cattle herding engagements and allow the older people instead in the village to do that,
“We saw that in chief Saili’s chiefdom children go to school and they only help looking after cattle during school holidays. We learnt that education is key for them to have a bright future and illiteracy levels will stop in the villages,” he said.
Headman Kalinde said they also learnt that, they could use maize leaves to feed cows after they harvested the maize fields and that it was important not to burn the same.
He further said the people in Chief Saili’s area had learnt the importance of avoiding cutting tree because the practice affected climate change.
Headman Kalinde said they would do everything possible to bring change in their Chiefdom based on what they had learned.
