Embangweni School For The Deaf

The Embangweni Primary School for the Deaf is part of the Loudon Mission Station near the town of Embangweni.  Located in north-central Malawi, it is about a 3-hour drive from the capital city of Lilongwe.

The school was begun in 1994 with 10 learners and a faculty of 6; in 2020 it housed 200 learners and had a faculty of 15. Learners range in age from 6 to 21 years and almost all board at school as the catchment area is quite large.

Classes include Preschool 1,2 & 3 and Classes (Standards) 1 through 9. Malawi schools usually go through Standard 8, but it is felt deaf students need an extra year.`

The physical facilities include classroom blocks for the Preschool Section, Infant Section (Standards 1-3), Lower Primary Section (Standards 4 – 6) and Upper Primary Section (Standards 7-9); offices for the headteacher, deputy head teacher, part-time accountant and speech therapist (when available); a staff meeting room/library and several storage rooms. 

The school has a central chapel building which is also used for school gatherings and is sometimes rented to outside groups.  There are two hostel buildings and adjacent sanitary blocks and a kitchen behind the girls’ hostel. 

Separate from the academic blocks is a large classroom used for woodshop and another used for tailoring class.  The school has houses for some but not all its teachers

In 1994, Embangweni was the only school for the deaf in the northern part of Malawi.  Prior to that time, all deaf students went to a school near Blantyre for education. 

The distance to Blantyre in the south was too far for many children and so they were unable to receive education that understood their special needs. In 2021, there were 3 Primary Schools for the Deaf in Northern Malawi: Embangweni, Karonga and Bandawe.

Owned by the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP), the school has a strong Christian emphasis and students are encouraged to attend the local worship community of their choice.  Many attend the CCAP church near the school and are involved in the Sunday afternoon meetings of Girls’ Brigade and Boys’ Brigade.

Embangweni Secondary School for the Deaf

The Embangweni Secondary School for the Deaf (ESSD) provides education for deaf students beyond the primary level, especially for those who complete class 9 at Embangweni Primary School for the Deaf. 

Located on land previously designated for the Primary School for the Deaf, ESSD is the only secondary school in Malawi specifically serving the deaf learner. The two schools are completely separate but of course maintain good relationships.

From the time that the primary school for deaf began in borrowed rooms, Headteacher Mr. E.G. Mtonga dreamed that one day there would be, at Embangweni, a secondary school for the deaf.  He realized that even the best and the brightest deaf students would struggle at a secondary school that did not understand or adapt to their needs.   

When the charter class at the primary school had all 10 of its members accepted for secondary school, the need for a secondary school for the deaf became more obvious.  Six of the 10 went to Robert Laws Secondary School (ROLASS) in Embangweni.

This kept them close to the Primary school and the teachers could visit ROLASS and provide very limited help to students.  Teachers of the deaf also tried to assist the secondary school teachers who had no specific training in teaching the deaf learner. 

The students worked together – each using their particular skills – to exchange class information but it was very difficult.  At the end of Form 4, four of this class had completed the course.

When ROLASS became an all-boys school, deaf girls had to go to other areas for secondary education.  It was never easy and only a few ever completed Secondary school.

Finally, in March 2015, the Embangweni Secondary School for the Deaf was opened with 15 learners in Form 1.  The teachers were all previously teaching at Embangweni Primary School for the Deaf and so were able to sign and use techniques familiar to the learners.

By September 2019, the school had experienced growth beyond all expectations.  Deaf students were coming from all parts of Malawi; there were 81 learners in Forms 1 through 6.  Classroom space was stretched beyond capacity; the two rooms had been subdivided into 4 with plywood walls. 

Forms 5 and 6 were using borrowed rooms at the Primary School for Deaf.  The situation eased when a second classroom block was built in 2020.

While the ideal would be to have all teachers trained in special needs education with some experience with the deaf, this is not reality.  ESSD relies on its base of teachers who have worked with deaf learners but with increased growth needs to hire some who are not familiar with the deaf.

The school is officially owned by the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) but students are free to attend the worship center of their choice.  Many students attend Sunday English worship at the mission station CCAP church.

Embangweni School For The Deaf Contact Details

E-mail [email protected]
Contact Details +265 1 311 395