By Burnett Munthali
Teachers who lost their jobs during what they describe as the cruel, discriminatory, and racially charged administration of Ms. Maria Asghar at Lilongwe Private School have begun speaking out publicly about their painful experiences.
One of the affected teachers, Agatha Mwenefumbo—now based in the United Kingdom—granted this publication an exclusive interview in which she detailed the circumstances surrounding her unfair dismissal and the toxic environment created under Ms. Asghar’s leadership.
Mwenefumbo revealed that she was fired without any valid reasons, asserting that her removal was purely motivated by racial bias because she is an indigenous Malawian.
She explained that Ms. Asghar had ordered her to write a report to Cambridge against her colleague, Ms. Julie, accusing Julie of delegating duties to pregnant female teachers.
Mwenefumbo clarified that, in truth, Ms. Julie had merely asked one female assistant teacher to briefly supervise her class while she attended to another urgent matter.
She said her refusal to frame Ms. Julie out of malice was one of the reasons the primary headteacher, Ms. Asghar, decided not to renew her contract.
The second reason, according to Mwenefumbo, was an accusation arising from a simple business advertisement she had posted on her WhatsApp status, which the headteacher used to claim that she was running a business instead of focusing on her teaching duties.
She described this reasoning as flimsy, biased, and entirely unprofessional, noting that these two issues were used as justification to push her out of the school.
Mwenefumbo alleged that Ms. Asghar was jealous of Ms. Julie and feared that one day Julie might become the next primary school head, fueling hostility and divisive behaviour in the administration.
She recounted how she tried multiple times to engage Ms. Asghar in a civil discussion to understand why her contract was not being renewed, only for the headteacher to flee from her office to avoid accountability.
She described the experience as extremely frustrating and emotionally draining, especially considering her dedication to the school and her profession.
Mwenefumbo said a troubling pattern had emerged at Lilongwe Private School in which only indigenous Malawian teachers were fired, despite being fully trained and qualified to teach.
She claimed that teachers of Asian origin, some of whom were untrained, unqualified, or inexperienced in education, were consistently protected, favoured, and elevated.
She argued that this pattern amounted to institutional racism taking place within Malawi’s borders and asked, “If this is not racism, then what is it?”
She added that teachers of Asian origin were receiving special weekend allowances at the school while indigenous Malawian teachers received nothing, further deepening the inequality.
According to Mwenefumbo, racism was even reflected in how pupils were treated, with reports that Ms. Asghar systematically changed class seating plans by moving Malawian children to the back and placing children of Asian origin in the front rows.
She described this practice as discriminatory, unacceptable, and harmful to the dignity and confidence of Malawian students.
Mwenefumbo shared that Ms. Asghar often humiliated teachers in front of colleagues and even students, publicly shouting at them as though they were not professionals or human beings deserving of respect.
She revealed that the headteacher enforced strict rules preventing Malawian teachers from taking sick leave while allowing Asian teachers generous sick leave periods, sometimes up to five days.
She stated that the headteacher demanded to see hospital books belonging not only to teachers but even to their family members, and she would photocopy medical documents for placement in teachers’ files.
She revealed shocking double standards by explaining that teachers were told they must never travel or attend funerals simply because the headteacher claimed her adult child was unwell.
She pointed out the hypocrisy by noting that Ms. Asghar travelled to Pakistan during the current term while students were sitting for examinations, claiming she was caring for her sick mother.
She added that the headteacher had travelled before school closure last year as well, staying away for nearly a month without consequences or scrutiny.
Mwenefumbo and other affected teachers are now calling for an immediate investigation by the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Labour, and human rights organisations.
She stressed that Lilongwe Private School operates within Malawi’s jurisdiction and must follow Malawi’s laws, yet a foreign headteacher was allowed to violate labour rights, human dignity, and educational ethics with impunity.
She appealed to relevant authorities to visit the school when it reopens, interview teachers, and uncover the truth behind the systemic racism and unjust treatment taking place.
The fired teachers said they are speaking now because they want justice, accountability, and protection for future teachers and learners at the institution.
They emphasised that racism has no place in Malawi and that the suffering of indigenous educators at the hands of a foreign administrator must not be ignored any longer.
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