By Wezzie Gausi:
Inadequate funding is crippling the education sector, with 90 percent of the allocated budget being spent on teachers’ salaries, a report has found.
The government has committed four percent of the gross domestic product to education, slightly below the regional average of 4.6 percent.
According to the 2024 Education Sector Performance Report, launched Tuesday in Lilongwe, the budget prioritises basic education, followed by higher education, secondary education and administrative management.
However, the report states that, despite this prioritisation, the sector continues to face huge funding gaps, particularly in areas essential for improving quality.
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These include teaching and learning materials, infrastructure development and teacher training.
“The percentage allocation of total government recurrent expenditure towards education (excluding debt servicing) has been ranging from 21 percent and 28 percent from 2013 to 2024 which is slightly higher than the global recommendation on the percentage recurrent allocation spent on education which is set at 20 percent.
“However, it should be noted that although government has been achieving this target, a large portion of the resources under recurrent budget are for the payment of personal emoluments for teachers, lecturers and staff at the expense of provision of essential teaching and learning resources for pupils and students,” the report reads.
At the launch of the report, Minister of Education Madalitso Kambauwa Wirima said collective efforts would be key to improving the sector.
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“The report provides an overview of the progress, challenges and achievements in Malawi’s education sector since the launch of the National Education Sector Investment Plan 2020–2030.
“As a country, we have made progress in some areas, but I must also acknowledge that there are still challenges that need addressing if we are to continue providing quality education,” Kambauwa said.
Executive Director of the Civil Society Education Coalition, Benedicto Kondowe, noted that several gaps remain within the education sector, which need urgent attention.
