A very encouraging visitor came to the site of our Loyola Jesuit Secondary School (LJSS) last month.  Encouraging because of who he is, and encouraging because of what he did!

Fr Adolfo Nicolas is the General Superior of the Society of Jesus, based in Rome.  He has been very supportive of the efforts of the Zambia-Malawi Jesuit Province to build our new school in Kasungu.  The effort of the Province to enable young women and men to secure good opportunities in a very poor educational system is very much in line with the Jesuit “preferential option for the poor.” (And it also coincides with the strong emphasis of our new Pope Francis!)

Foundation Stone for Loyola Jesuit Secondary School

Father Nicolas was in Zambia for African regional meetings of Jesuits, and came to Malawi on 16 April.  As the photos here show, he blessed a large Foundation Stone which will be displayed at the entrance to the Administration Block when it is completed.

For future generations of students and staff, this Foundation Stone will be a reminder of the commitment of the Jesuits and our many benefactors to make a dream become a reality.

Father Adolfo Nicolas, S.J., blesses Foundation Stone

Amidst the busy times of the on-going construction of LJSS, this event was indeed memorable.

This is really encouraging for all of us, and should be especially good news for the many benefactors who have been helping us to get up and going a real “option for the poor” school.

The pictures attached to this blog show some of the buildings that are making our dream become a reality.  Phase One of LJSS must provide all the office space necessary (Administration Block), and the basics of kitchen and hall.  Portions of classrooms and girls’ and boy’s hostel must also be in place for the enrolment of First Year in September 2014.

Buildings constructed must also be filled with desks, files, benches, computers, books, kitchen cookers, lab materials, etc., etc.  And that’s what we are eagerly pursuing now in our fundraising efforts.

Please pray for us – and for the young people eager to get a good education in our school!

Below is a selection of some of the photos taken on 05 May.  Looking good….!

School Hall rising from the ground!

Classrooms eager to receive students!

Girls' hostel ready to welcome future leaders of Malawi!

Administration Block with Plenty of Offices!

Headteachers House getting ready!

Pope Francis is a Jesuit.

Any connections??

Well, that has been a question coming our way many times since the historic election on 13 March.   Does the election of Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio as the first Jesuit to become Pope have any implications for our new LJSS rising up in Kasungu, Malawi?

I’d like to suggest two connections for sure and maybe a third connection for hope.

First, Pope Francis has from the start emphasised the need for our Church to be close to the poor, in style and in service.  The stories coming from his pastoral experiences in Argentina and from his surprising actions during the first few weeks of his being in office in Rome tell us of his strong personal commitment to being close to the poor.

In his early talks in Rome as Pope, he has spoken of a desire for a Church that not only attends to the needs of the poor but also is itself more poor.  Surely that is a big challenge that LJSS must face right from the start.  We have called ourselves an “option for the poor” school – aiming to provide good education to young women and men caught in a very poor educational system in one of the poorest countries in the world.  (See further explanation on this website’s homepage under “Our Commitment.”)

So right from the start, we need to emphasise to all staff and students that education, activities and lifestyle at LJSS is guided by a central question, “What does all this mean to the poor who are the huge majority in Malawi?

Second and closely related, instruction at LJSS is guided by the “Ignatian Pedagogy” – a fancy name for teaching that instills the values of our Jesuit spirituality.  Two nice phrases we have been using to describe this: “form women and men for others” and “prepare students not simply to make a living but to make a difference.”

How to translate these nice phrases into reality in instruction, service and living patterns in our school will surely be a big challenge.  I believe that Pope Francis’s example of relating to the poor will be a real help in all this.

And a third connection, the hopeful one, is that publicity around the fact that Pope Francis is a Jesuit might encourage people to make a contribution, large or small, to the current construction of Loyola Jesuit Secondary School.  Maybe even contribute “in honour of” Pope Francis!

Pete Henriot, S.J.

Director of Development

22 March 2013

That’s a question many of you, our friends, may have.

Loyola Jesuit Secondary School, in Kasungu, Malawi, will be, significantly, a “grant-aided school.” So what does this mean in practice for our new school?

It is important to understand that Malawi has different categories of secondary schools. In Kasungu, this means:

Community Day Secondary School  

• students are selected from the local area

• no boarding option

• often lacks the basic resources of water, electricity, laboratories, libraries, etc

• will have many teachers not fully qualified for secondary education tasks

Most secondary education in Kasungu district is of this type.

District Secondary School

• students are selected from the whole district

• basic boarding facilities are available, but they are often dilapidated

• often lacks key resources like laboratory materials, sports equipment, etc.

National Secondary School

• students are selected from throughout the country

• boarding facilities are offered

• amenities and resources of variable standards

Private School

• available only for those who who can afford very high fees

Students in Community Day Secondary School (CDSS), Kasungu

A “Grant-Aided School” is run in collaboration between the Ministry of Education and the Proprietor, or owner, of the school.  This most often means a church organisation is the Proprietor.

For LJSS, the Proprietor is the Society of Jesus.  As such, it will be the responsibility of the Jesuits and those whom we appoint to run the school and make the major policy decisions.  For example, we anticipate that the Head Teacher will be a Jesuit.

The Government and people of Malawi, through the Ministry of Education, provide the basic teachers and pay for their salaries. In addition, some other salaries are provided for secretaries, cooks, maintenance staff, etc.  Educational resources such as textbooks will be obtained collaboratively with the Ministry.

As you can readily see, this means a very significant contribution on the part of the people of Malawi and a saving for operating expenses for LJSS.

The only fees charged to families of students will be the cost of basic accommodation – lodging and food.  We now estimate that when school opens for First Year in September 2014 this cost will be less than USD 125.00 per term, or less than USD 375.00 per year.

Why will LJSS be a “Grant-Aided” school? 

In deciding to locate LJSS as a co-educational boarding school for 500 students in Kasungu, the issue of whether it would be a private school or a “Grant-Aided” school was given major consideration in our planning and evaluation.

Donors to LJSS are often interested in what local contribution is being made to the project. There are a number of ways in which the local and wider Malawian community are providing generously for LJSS, including advice, construction work, donations, and tax exemption.

But certainly one of the most significant and long-lasting contributions will be made through the grant-aided system. The Ministry of Education’s contribution of teachers’ salaries and other assistance is a major and ongoing support, allowing for a collaborative relationship with the Proprietor, the Jesuits.

This contribution is also crucial to the mission of LJSS. The provision of salaries for teaching staff enables a significantly wider reach for inclusion of students.  This is true because, due to the Government’s contribution, fees charged to the students and their families can be substantially lowered.

This means that children from families of lesser means will be able to attend and benefit from the high standard of education offered by the Loyola Jesuit Secondary School.

Yes, another example of why LJSS is a real “option for the poor”!

Khumbo Mkandawire and Mirriam Phiri, Standard 7 learners at St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Kasungu, perform their own song in celebration of Loyola Jesuit Secondary School (LJSS).

Currently, three members of the Zambia-Malawi Province of Jesuits are hard at work getting the construction of Loyola Jesuit Secondary School (LJSS) underway in Kasungu. Regular meetings, both in Kasungu and in Lilongwe (capital of Malawi, 120 km from Kasungu), keep us attentive to our responsibilities to assure that all goes very well.

God-willing, our plans call for Phase One of LJSS to be ready for enrolment of First Year in September 2014. Other blogs on our website here describe the construction progress.

Peter Bwanali, S.J., Project Consultant, oversees some of the many reports that must be prepared. Project Manager, Alojz Podgrajsek, S.J., provides oversight of construction at the site and the many details relating to relations with the Government of Malawi. Working to raise funds for this big project is Pete Henriot, S.J., Director of Development.

Busy looking over reports for Loyola Jesuit Secondary School: Alojz Podgrajsek, S.J., Peter Bwanali, S.J., Pete Henriot, S.J.

A Malawian, Peter brings experience of having served as Provincial of the Zambia-Malawi Province of Jesuits (2006 to 2011), and was involved in the initial planning to establish LJSS in Kasungu. From Slovenia, Alojz worked in Zambia for 35 years in various pastoral positions before coming to Malawi in 2007 to plan for the new school. Pete, from the USA, directed the Jesuit Center for Theological Reflection for 21 years in Zambia, and came to Malawi in 2011.

Local residents have found good employment in the construction process and look forward to the completion of the new school in their neighbourhood.

The people of Kasungu are the inspiration for Loyola Jesuit Secondary School (LJSS), Malawi. They are the heart and soul of the project: these simple portraits can only go so far in conveying their enthusiasm for and contribution to the realisation of the LJSS dream.

It’s exciting to see the swift progress being made at the construction site in Kasungu.

One of the project’s innovations is LJSS’ very own cement factory, creating cement on-site. As you can see from the photograph, the local Kasungu workers are certainly very proud of the achievement!

The fruits of the cement factory: foundation blocks ready to make their contribution to LJSS

Rosaline Chakhaza – parent, grandparent, Kasungu resident, and Deputy Headteacher at Saint Joseph’s Catholic Primary School – speaks about the need for and importance of good secondary education, the challenges girls face, and the community’s hopes for Loyola Jesuit Secondary School.