Malawi

Key facts

47%

of adolescents in Malawi have completed their primary school education, based on data from 2016

36%

more people from marginalised groups said they participated regularly in school management activities following Link’s IPGEM project

+18%

improvement in the number of schools that met or exceeded national standards for students learning in lessons during Link’s INSPIRE project

6,000

previously out-of-school girls will be reached by our TEAM Girl Malawi project

Link has been working to strengthen education systems in Malawi since 2006. In 2015, we partnered with Malawi’s government to develop the first ever National Education Standards – a set of minimum requirements for teaching, learning, school leadership, community participation and child protection which every school in the country must meet.

The specification of standards enables more accurate and comprehensive reporting on the quality of education than has been possible in the past…[we] are committed to supporting the implementation of the National Education Standards, to ensuring openness and transparency in reporting, and to contributing to improvements in the quality of education provision across the country.

Dr. Emmanuel Fabiano, Former Minister of Education, Science and Technology

Since these standards were launched, we have been working to raise awareness and implement them to guide school improvement in Malawi. Through building accountability and community support, we are creating sustainable change in Malawi’s education system.

We are thankful [to Link] for opening our eyes to things that really matter for our children to learn.

Parent leader, Malawi

Using the National Education Standards, we have developed a school improvement model that can be replicated throughout Malawi, while working to understand why some community members are excluded from the school improvement cycle and how we can help them play a more active role in their schools.

Beyond improving schools, we are reaching some of the most marginalised adolescent girls in Malawi through creating community learning centres. By balancing their needs with addressing systemic barriers to girls’ education, we are empowering them to make decisions about their own futures and build a better life.

Our IPGEM and ICE projects specifically targeted ways to ensure the most marginalised members of communities were included in their local schools, working to remove the barriers to participation. These people were empowered to take the lead in influencing community norms and create more inclusive, better performing schools.