Scores of primary school pupils on Wednesday des cended on Joyce Banda Foundation International School at Chimwakhunda in Blantyre, disrupting classes and demanding an immediate stop of learning at the school.

Eye witnesses at the school, owned by Banda's family, said over 60 pupils most of them in school uniforms of Zingwangwa and Chimwankhunda primary schools invaded the school.

They chanted and pelted stones at the entrance of the school, accusing President Banda of neglecting their plight by not resolving the ongoing strike by their teachers.

"They were over 60 of them some as young as seven years. They were singing and shouting, calling for classes here to stop just as learning has halted in their schools because of the strike by their teachers," a worker at the school said.

There is currently a nationwide strike by civil servants which has paralysed government services at Capital Hill, hospitals and schools.

Joyce Banda Foundation School authorities had to call in the Police who came and dispersed the angry children.

There were reports that some children were picked for questioning by the police in connection to the incident, but Southern region Police spokesperson Nicholas Gondwa refuted this.

"We did not pick or question any child because it is against our practice. What we did is just to take particulars of five pupils, four girls and a boy we found at the school when our team arrived. We had to take the particulars for our future references regarding this case," said Gondwa in an interview.

When The Daily Times crew visited the school's premises at lunch hour, the state of despair could still be felt as the school's students were scattered outside their classes and officials who included Joyce Banda's son, Roy Kachale, who is the director, were seen conferring.

Some students and teachers were seen boarding two school buses with at least one armed police officer accompanying each of the buses.

In an interview, Kachale said he could not comment as the incident happened outside the school's campus.

He declined to explain the heavy presence of police both in and outside the premises.

There were about 20 armed police officers guarding the school premises.

"On issues of security we don't take chances," Gondwa said.