The President of the St. Mark’s Old Boys Association (SMOBA), Mr. O’Neil Mweemba, led a high-level fact-finding mission to St. Mark’s Secondary School on Saturday, aimed at assessing the state of the school’s infrastructure and identifying urgent areas for intervention.
Accompanied by School Board Chairperson Mr. Ngonomo Elisha, Headmistress Mrs. Mavis Ntalasha, representatives from the Diocesan Education Office, and the Mbabala Area Member of Parliament, the President toured the entire campus—including classrooms, dormitories, ablution blocks, and the school’s production unit yard.
The delegation was met with sobering realities as they moved through the facilities, with worn-out paint, leaking pipes, and crumbling walls among the key issues highlighted.
“This visit was not just ceremonial,” said Mr. Mweemba.
“It was about seeing for ourselves the state of our beloved school. What we’ve seen today calls for urgent action SMOBA, the Church, the School, and the wider community must come together.”
In response to the visit, the team committed to producing a comprehensive fact-finding report that will be distributed to all stakeholders, including alumni, the Diocese, and government representatives.
Chairperson Elisha emphasized the importance of long-term sustainability.
“We cannot continue to patch problems. We need a strategic plan to modernize and maintain the infrastructure at St. Mark’s,” he said.
The SMOBA President also made a passionate appeal to the Constituency Office for financial assistance, stating
“SMOBA cannot do this alone. We need the support of government structures and well-wishers if we are to make meaningful progress.”Despite the challenges, the tone of the visit remained optimistic.
“We’ve always come through for this school,” Mr. Mweemba reminded the alumni community.
“And I am confident that, once again, SMOBA will rise to the occasion.”