This concentrates enrolments in lower primary grades, and increases pressures on an already overcrowded and under-resourced system, further worsening learning outcomes for students and increasing rates of repetition and dropout ( EGRA 2018).ĭecongestion measures are enshrined in policy, however in reality, schools struggle to implement these effectively alongside guaranteeing high quality of education to all students. Of those enrolled, Ministry of Education data reveals that only one in four children enrolled in grade 1 go on to complete primary school, with most children repeating early grades. Primary education in Malawi is characterised by large classes with an average pupil to teacher ratio (PTR) of over 100:1 in the latest reports (see Figure 1). Lack of interest (42 percent) and lack of access to the necessary devices (39 percent) are primarily the barriers to children studying at home. Only around 40 percent of households report that children are currently engaged in remote learning. But unequal access to learning materials or support necessary for remote learning is compromising potential gains for students at home. The use of remote learning as a decongestion measure by schools has increased from 2021 to 2022, according to our study. Source: Ministry of Education, Education Statistics Reports, several years But after months of school closures and low reliability of remote learning alternatives, are children benefiting from being away from school?įigure 1: Pupil to Teacher Ratio (PTR), 20, by grade levels …to support decongestion of overcrowded primary classrooms…Ī majority (70 percent) of schools in our sample are implementing decongestion measures, including expanding space for learning through the use of temporary shelters (40 percent), or alternating school days based on grade (30 percent) with remote learning support.Two out of three students are in schools that are using staggered classes or shifts to reduce overcrowding. A lack of support for implementation of these strategies means this is still the case. The first phase of our research revealed that despite these efforts, most children lost out on remote learning because of lack of access to necessary materials. Policies to support distance education, such as distribution of radios to some of the poorest households setting up online learning systems and paper-based learning sets for secondary schools were also introduced. Guidelines issued by the government of Malawi to ensure safe reopening after COVID-19 closures included promising measures to reduce overcrowding, like staggering attendance and reducing class size, as well as hiring volunteer and auxiliary teachers to respond to teacher shortages in primary schools. ![]() Despite prevailing access issues, remote learning continues to be encouraged across schools… We highlight the gaps in educational provision for children in Malawi, and explore the measures that can truly improve education during emergencies like cholera and COVID. We find that remote learning is here to stay but that a range of issues still exists: from access issues to falling enrollment, and rising repetition and dropout rates. ![]() ![]() In this blog, we present findings on the state of education in Malawi, using survey data collected in mid-2022 from households and school headteachers. A recent cholera outbreak in the country prompted the government to close schools yet again at the start of this year, and reliance on remote learning persists. ![]() In the first phase of our study, we found that students struggled to access remote learning during pandemic-related school closures, with studies estimating large-scale learning loss of up to two years. The state of learning in Malawi post-COVID-19 has been deemed a crisis, with primary school-aged learners unable to read basic text or perform foundational numeracy skills.
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