In an unprecedented online encounter, Malawi’s Zipatso Academy and Switzerland’s BBZ IDM Thun senior students had an exchange of ideas, experiences and perspectives on 19 March, 2025.

The online encounter, though being the first of its kind, was executed successfully by use of WhatsApp video calls. Ruth Bossart and Andrew Maliro worked tirelessly to see the two teams interact. The former, a Swiss, described the event as »great, wonderful and worthwhile«. Andrew, on the Malawian counterpart, described it as »an impactful and lifelong form of interactive learning«.

It was indeed breathtaking to see students, thousands of miles apart, share thoughts, feelings, questions, future plans, day-to-day life, and many more in real time. This was basically the sole purpose of the online exchange programme. Thanks to the Managements of both schools for accommodating this programme.

At least nine students who sat for MSCE at Zipatso Academy in 2024 have been selected to pursue various degree programmes in public universities.

Selection to a public university is a stiff and highly competitive game in Malawi which sees all Form 4 students countrywide who passed with at least six credits, including those from two previous years, applying to try their luck.

The nine students, who include our top scorer Yamikani Mtalimanja, have been selected to KUHeS, UNIMA, MUBAS, LUANAR and MUST. Congratulations are in order!

Zipatso Academy is proud to have one of its students, Yamikani Mtalimanja, who scored 10 points in the 2024 MSCE examinations, on the National Awards Ceremony.

The National Awards Ceremony, which caters for both public and private secondary schools, has been organized by the First Lady Madam Monica Chakwera, and will take place on 7 February, 2025 at Mkwichi Secondary School in the capital of Malawi, Lilongwe.

There are a total of 30 students who will be awarded during the ceremony. Of the 30 students, 18 are from public secondary schools and 12 from private secondary schools.

‘All work no play makes Jack a dull boy’, so the wise saying goes. On 26 October, 2024, Zipatso Academy students and staff visited Cape Maclear in Mangochi, where they also had a chance to swim in the fresh waters of Lake Malawi. The trip was both educational and recreational as students also had a chance to see for themselves the tourist attraction centre that Cape Maclear, or Chembe, is.

Cape Maclear is surrounded by forested mountains, known for the sandy beaches and granite rocks of Lake Malawi National Park. The park shelters rich wildlife like antelope and baboons. Its clear waters are populated by hundreds of species of colorful cichlid fish. These are visible at dive sites such as Otter Point.

On this day every term, Zipatso Academy students and academic staff members fundraise for charity works by wearing clothes of their choices for a little fee.

This term, the »Lyssig Day« fell on 27 September, 2024.

The money collected in so doing is used to cheer the needy in any designated area around Zipatso Academy on what we call, »Social Responsibility Day« which is normally a Friday after Lyssig Day.

Zipatso Academy is among the schools where best points have been attained in the just released 2024 MSCE examination. MANEB released the results on Monday, 16 September, 2024. Countrywide, Zipatso Academy comes third with 10 points and the candidate’s name is Yamikani Mtalimanja. The first and second positions are 8 and 9 points respectively from two different schools.

Out of the 39 candidates who sat for the examination at Zipatso Academy (26 boys and 13 girls), 37 passed and 2 (boys) failed, representing 95% pass rate. Countrywide, 177,434 candidates sat for the examination and 97,222 passed, representing 54.79%. From 11 points in 2023 to 10 points in 2024, we say our journey to single digit points is fast approaching materialization!

Congratulations to the boys and girls and the entire Staff and Management of Zipatso Academy!!!

On Friday, 16 August, 2024, the Malawi National Examinations Board (MANEB) released results for the 2024 Junior Certificate of Education (JCE) examinations which will see candidates proceeding from Junior Section to Senior Section (Form 2 to Form 3).

Following this, we are pleased to announce that we have maintained a 100% pass rate and that all the 30 candidates, 17 boys and 13 girls, who sat for the examinations will proceed to Form 3.

Zipatso Academy wishes to congratulate the boys and girls, the entire staff of Zipatso Academy and the parents and guardians on this success.

On the night of 6 July, 2024, our 32 outgoing Form 4 students who are in the middle of writing their Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) examinations, had an exquisite dinner in the school’s gallery.

The dinner is part of the year-to-year farewell ceremony, popularly crowned “graduation”, where the outgoing students celebrate their four-year stay at the campus and bid farewell to the members of staff and fellow students remaining behind. Testimonials and academic awards are also issued to the outgoing students at this event.

In normal circumstances, the farewell party is held a week before writing of the national examinations commences. This year it was slated for June 22 as the national examinations were starting on July 2. However, following the loss of the country’s Veep and eight others in a tragic plane crash on 10 June, 2024, the Ministry of Education advised that schools hold farewell parties on the 6th or 7th of July, 2024 after the 21-day mourning period was over.

We wish the candidates all the best as they continue with the examinations this Tuesday, 9 July, 2024.