A fire has severely damaged ST Anne’s Primary School in the Manyamula Educational Zone of Mzimba District, destroying educational tablets worth K45 million.

According to Ministry of Education spokesperson Mphatso Nkuonera, the blaze was caused by faulty electrical wiring.

The tablets were part of the Building Education Foundations Through Innovation and Technology (BEFIT) initiative, a six-year project aimed at enhancing education for students from standard 1 to 4, funded by multiple donors.

The fire consumed 114 tablets, 130 headphones, 130 charging cables, one Wi-Fi router, and various other electronic devices essential for classroom instruction.

Investigations are ongoing to gather more details about the incident.