A desire to continue education beyond primary school level leads many students to choose the option of boarding. The sparse coverage of post primary schools means that the closest secondary school can be a few hours walk away.Irish Aid has funded a number of boarding lodges in an effort to increase secondary school completion rates. One of these lodges is located in Maua, an important urban centre in rural Niassa.
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Rafael Akibo, the school's director notes that living there makes students’ lives easier, they are provided with meals, they do not need to worry about transport and they benefit from peer support from their housemates. This he claims contributes to improving students’ education as they not only learn from the curriculum but by living in the boarding house they are receiving a parallel education on civic and social matters. Students, who come from surrounding rural communities, sometimes up to 80km away, expressed their enjoyment of sharing quarters with peer. They noted that it allows them to study together for exams which can help them to do better and opens up more opportunities for further studies.
