The north had good weather for white settlers but not good enough terrain for economic settlements.
Most schools in the early days were built by Catholics who conditionally provided it. The condition being conversion to christianity. For people in the south who had been converted to islam earlier, this was a barrier to do school and most developed a negative attitude towards it.
In the quest to educate to educate the whole nation, government then might have partnered with missions and prioritied developing the center and north. For the center at around the same time as well as mulanje and thyolo, the need for labour might have affected the motivation to do school for at the same time schools were being built farms were also starting.
The north was lucky being blessed with terrain that limited activities other than education. The did excell educationary.
Kamuzu might have seen this imbalance and also with good intentions might have wanted to implement the quota system. This caused much pain for people of the north for among those implementing the quota system there were some filled with hatred and jeolousy against this people.
He decided to atleast educate a grown education in technical jobs like carpentry, sawing and other trades. Even School za Kwacha.
Technical Colleges might have been a temporary solution as well maybe with a hope that people will then encourage their young ones to go to
school.
But life might not have been easy still for moslem kids. They faced much stigma as moslems were percieved as sinners. As such they wouldn't receive much acceptance in government among the majority christian. School then for such students was tough.
It is only recently with the birth of democracy and sensitization on freedom of worship that moslems went to school without stigma. At Chancellor College it was only when I was in 3rd year(2003-2004) when I saw female moslems wearing their head gear. It even felt strange
then to have them around in school for I had never had them around all my life of education till then. It really felt like some kind of exagerative rebellion on their part. But its better now. It seems normal to have them even in work places.
Technical Colleges does not make people bosses unless the people on their own effort have advanced themselves in their education. This still leaves a gap among the north and center and south.
The Presidents plans to build universities over the nation is an even better solution. Are we going to let our anger stand against even this solution?
It is said none is more intelligent than the other none is less intelligent. We all know as much knowledge as has been exposed to us. And as much knowledge we have grasped. Some have had a previlage of access to so much knowledge some none. Some have had encouragement some have discouragement in its place.
A person with good intentions will encourage or discourage for good reasons. A person with bad intentions will encourage or discourage for bad reasons.
Who are bad then? Those with Bad intentions. How shall we know them? By the fruits shall you know them.
Of the 5000 students qualifying for university only 1,200 students get selected into Public Universities due to lack of Bed space.
Of these 1,200 students, I would assume a greater percentage to be from urbun schools than rural one as urbun center has a larger flock of teachers therefore a better teacher/student ration. Urbun centers have better access to learning resources than the rural ones.
The Quota System ensures that every district contributes 10 students. So that of 1,200 students, 290 students have been guaranteed a place. The rest 1,200-290 compete for a place.
Common sense tells me they don't select from the bottom up but from the top down.
Quota system has brought pain among us. But look also at all these things and then maybe we can hate reasonably.