Expert calls for urgent need for meaningful educ. in informal sec. school system

An education expert Dr. Steve Sharra says Malawi will be able to realise a demographic dividend only if it offers a good quality education both for those currently going to school, and for those who did not get a chance to enroll, or to finish.

Writing on his blog in line with International literacy Day, he indicated that considering that 92 percent of Malawian adults do not have a secondary school education, ensuring that every citizen has 12 years of formal education will be a huge challenge.

He argued that both the 2030 and 2063 goals rest on the human capital development agenda, requiring a solid education system for those currently enrolled, and a strategy for those outside the school system adding that setting targets of 28 percent secondary school completion is at odds with that vision.

Sharra stated that functional secondary cities would therefore increase the country’s productivity by creating jobs for millions of young people.

The Malawi 2063 first year 10-year implementation plan (MIP-1) has set a target of three secondary cities by 2030, but the Indicator Matrix has very little information on how this is to be achieved.

According to the educationist, for the secondary cities to materialize, it is imperative to improve education access especially for rural populations. 

“Providing a meaningful education to the millions of Malawians who are out of school hardly registers in the policy discourse. There is an urgent need to provide a meaningful education to citizens who cannot be accommodated in the formal secondary school system.

“The MIP-1 makes a provision for community learning centres to widen education access, but there are no indicators for this in the Indicators Matrix. And there is no sign that anything is being done about it”. he wrote

He indicated that Malawi’s secondary school enrollment rates have historically been low, meaning there are far more Malawians of school going age that are not in school.

In 2023, only 17 percent of the country’s secondary age population was in school, and only 22 percent actually finished secondary school.

The 2023 Education Statistics Report shows a total secondary school enrollment of 485,650 in the entire country. This is the highest it has ever been.

The 2018 Population and Housing Census indicated that the country had 1.9 million Malawians in the 15-19 age bracket, underscoring the fact that Malawi has far too few secondary schools even for those of the appropriate age.

He noted the same worrying trend of absurdly low targets is seen in tertiary enrollment rates. The 2020 baseline figure was 30,970, and the 2030 target was set at a ridiculous 40,000.

By 2022, the actual tertiary enrollment had already reached 64,519, rising to 74,200 in 2023. Interestingly, the 2018 Population and Housing Census recorded a tertiary enrollment figure of 90,000.

The 2018 census recorded 6 million Malawians aged between 15 and 34, projected to rise to 8.4 million by 2030. Yet the MIP-1 target for TEVET graduates by 2030 is a paltry 15,000, from a baseline of 10,500 in 2020. Data for 2023 is indicated as unavailable. Sharra noted these low targets are untenable and have to be revised.

He further said respect for and knowledge of other languages also promotes mutual understanding and peace by making it possible for diverse groups of people to understand and communicate and empathise with each other adding this is what brings national development.

Considering how Malawians continue to divide themselves based on regions and ethnicity, at the expense of national progress, multilingual education remains important.

The Malawi 2063 vision makes it “compulsory for every citizen to attain at least 12 years of formal education which Sharra stressed cannot wait till the year 2063.

 “The 2008-2018 National Educational Sector Plan set a primary school teacher-pupil ratio of 1:60. Anybody who has taught young children knows that 60 learners in a classroom is a big number that cannot guarantee quality teaching and learning.

“Because this target has never been achieved, it has deterred Malawi’s education planners and policy makers from being more ambitious, fearing failure.”