2006

Janet Chesney is offered land by the Mbano family to build a girls high school in the area of Engcongolweni in northern Malawi. The Chesney Trust for Education in Malawi is registered as a charity in Scotland and as an NGO in Malawi.

2008 - 2009

The Ubale (friendship) bridge is constructed to give access to the school site. It provides a lifeline for communities when the rains come. Hon Catherine Gotani Hara MP, Deputy Minister for Gender, Children and Community Development, officially opens the bridge in October 2009. She also performs the Ground Breaking Ceremony for the school.

2010

Construction of two double classroom blocks and a set of 4 pit latrines is completed. A two-bed room staff house and staff pit latrine is also completed.

2011-2012

After earlier unsuccessful attempts, water is found in a borehole at 62 m, 600 m from the school boundary on Mbano land. Thank you to Anne and Paul Corrigan for funding this. A maize mill, with a diesel driven motor, is commissioned in September 2011.  

2012-2013

In August 2012 water pumped is from the borehole using a solar power pump and piped to the school site, and to the hostel and teacher’s house. The official registration of the Edinburgh Girls’ High School takes place and five girls are admitted to Form 1 on 1 October, increasing to 12 later that year. A hostel is constructed by the end of the year, allowing boarders in January 2013. Day pupils become boarders and the total roll increased to 35 girls. 

2013-2014

The administration block housing the library, staff rooms and the school office is built. Furthermore, two 3-bedroom houses to accommodate two teachers and their families are built. A second hostel accommodating 80 girls is built.

2015

A 2-bedroomed teacher’s house, as well as a nursery school is built.

2015-2016

A Science Block, with separate laboratories for chemistry, physics and biology, is constructed, and a start is made on equipping the chemistry laboratory.  A new kitchen/dining hall is being built and solar power is installed for electricity in administration block, hostels and teachers’ accommodation. The water supply is upgraded and now 20,000 litres of water can be pumped per day.

2016-2017

In June 2016, the school’s first graduation takes place. In October, a school party from the Mary Erskine School, Edinburgh visits and they build a brick kiln during their visit. In November, the school wins the gold medal in the TEVET 2016 Career Guidance choir competition for northern region schools, coming top of the eleven schools entered. In March and April 2017, eleven pupils are offered University places.

2017-2018

Small houses for the matron and for a teacher, and a duplex house for teachers, are completed. The head teacher’s house is completed.

2018-2019

A large hall and kitchen funded by Beit Trust are completed and solar power installed. A coaster bus is purchased thanks to ESMS primary school pupils walking part of the West Highland Way.

A highlight of the year is the visit of 20 pupils from the Edinburgh Girls' High School, with four teachers, to Scotland to take part dancing and singing in the Edinburgh Tattoo.

A shipment of 23 boxes of clothes, books, toys and stationery sent by ESMS to Malawi through The Banana Box Trust.

2019-2020

A library/computer room funded by Beit Trust was completed and solar power installed with a grant from the Allan & Nesta Ferguson Charitable Trust.

Solar power and lighting installed in two duplex teachers’ houses. A new toilet block is built.

The school closed in March 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Malawi School Certificate Examination, normally held in June, is postponed.

2020-2021

Solar power and lighting are installed in the remaining teachers' houses.

A new head teacher is appointed in July 2021.

2021-2022

 A new 4-door toilet is constructed in May.

2022-2023

In September 2022, the school roll increased to 194, the maximum possible with the current hostel accommodation.  The school PTA funded the construction of a cooking shelter just outside the kitchen/dining hall.

In the 2022 Malawi School Certificate of Education examinations, there was a 93% pass rate, with 18 candidates eligible for University selection. The pass rate was 93% also in the newly re-instated Junior Certificate of Education examination.

The Tenth Anniversary of the opening of the school was celebrated on 5 November 2022, with the Education Minister as guest of honour, a representative of the Member of Parliament of the area, traditional leaders, officials from the Ministry of Education, and pupils and teachers from the neighbouring primary schools – in total over 600 people.  Activities for pupils included traditional dances, poetry recitals, songs, fun fair and drama.  The event was televised on National TV, and covered by the press.  Janet Chesney attended in her role as CEO.  She had useful discussions with the Minister of Education about the school's future, and met the staff and members of the Malawi Board to thank them for all the good work that they were doing.

The PTA used the function to fundraise for the construction of a school kitchen through the sales of 208 t-shirts and 62 golf shirts

Book Day was celebrated on 8 March 2023, to promote the reading culture in the school.

An application to Beit Trust for funding for a third hostel was approved, with a grant of £32,000, and a further £3,600 from the Chesney Trust.

2023-2024

In the 2023 Malawi School Certificate of Education examinations, there was an 89.5% pass rate, with 14 students gaining places at public Universities. The pass rate was 98% in the Junior Certificate of Education examination.

The school roll increased to 194 in September 2023, with 16 pupils supported by bursaries.  Work on the new hostel (the third) to reduce overcrowding had stopped when funds ran out due to an ~65% increase in cost of items such as cement and plumbing materials.  An additional grant from Beit Trust and a contribution from the Chesney Trust enabled the construction to be completed and the hostel was opened in November. As part of the project, a large septic tank, funded by the Chesney Trust, was installed. 

In order to improve the power supply, two 5.5 kVA diesel generators, funded by the Chesney Trust, have been installed.  One is a backup for the solar system connected to the submersible water pump, while the other is backing up the solar system connected to the library/computer laboratory and the administration block.  Five street solar lamps have been installed at strategic places to improve security on campus.

The Malawi kwacha was devalued by 44% in November 2023.  School fees were not increased during the school year in case pupils were withdrawn from the school by inability to pay the increase.

A Trustee from Scotland visited the school in October 2023.

In Malawi, a Programme Officer (Trainee) and part-time accountant were appointed.

The new uniform for the start of the next academic year has a check of dark red and blue.

Solar batteries have been installed in the administration area, with power for printing and allowing students to study at nighttime.

2024-2025

The Edinburgh Girls’ High School (EGHS) had an increase in student numbers to 246 at the start of the 2024-2025 year.  School fees that had been kept at MK 345,00 per term for the whole of the previous school year, even though there had been a serious devaluation of the kwacha in November 2023, were increased to MK 425,000 per term in September 2024.  There was no increase during the 2024-2025 school year, even though costs were rising.

There was an 89.4% pass in the Malawi School Certificate of Education examination and a 94% pass rate (44/47) in the Junior Certificate of Education examination. We are delighted to hear that 12 pupils have been offered Universities places this year.

Financial support was provided to EGHS this year towards the purchase of a) hall tables, beds and desks, b) a new solar-operated pump, controller and tank for the water supply, c) solar batteries for classroom lighting, d) a gas stove (more environmentally friendly than cooking using firewood) and e) SSB (cement stabilised soil block) production for a Duplex house. 

An application has been made to Beit Trust for funding to construct another classroom block to provide additional teaching space as the school moves towards a complete double stream.

The school PTA has started construction work on a wall from the school entrance using the funding (total MK 3 million per term) that students contribute every term towards PTA.

The Mary Erskine Kaleidoscope Show raised £5,000 again for the Chesney Trust.

New head teacher and deputy head teacher were appointed.

2025-2026

In the summer 2025 national examinations, there was a 100% pass in the JCE (Junior Certificate of Education) examination, and a 93% pass in the MSCE (Malawi School Certificate of Education) examination. On the basis of the MSCE results, 14 students gained university places.

In response to the widespread increase in costs in Malawi, at the start of this school year school fees were increased to MK 672,000 for new students, and to MK 565,000 for on-going students. This has led to a fall in the school roll to 200 pupils.

A new toilet block was built: