Universal primary education is widely recognised as a key factor in reducing poverty. In Malawi, following the 1994 election, the new government introduced a programme of Free Primary Education (FPE), which increased access to education. However, as this paper for the Institute of Development Studies argues, the policy has not benefited some of the country’s poorest groups.
The Malawi FPE programme was a response to popular demand, as well as to the recognition of the long-term role of primary education in alleviating poverty. Consequently, education became the largest recipient of recurrent spending, with 65% of that allocation going to primary schooling. Yet while enrolment has risen, the policy process was rushed and did not include widespread consultation. Thus there are doubts as to whether FPE is fulfilling the needs of citizens, particularly the poorest.
The costs of education are still too high for some. The quality of primary and higher levels of education has suffered and the education on offer may not be relevant for those who do not progress beyond primary school. In addition, conflict between the school and agricultural calendars keeps some children out of school. However, many of the problems could be overcome if the process for making education policy became more inclusive and participatory.
The FPE programme was intended to increase access, eliminate inequalities in participation and spread awareness of the importance of education. However, these aims have been thwarted by the disjuncture between policy and practice. Major problems are that:
- The quantity of primary schooling has been increased at the expense of quality. Thus more years of schooling are needed to acquire the minimum skills required for poverty reduction goals.
- The expansion of primary schooling has increased demand for secondary education, where the main economic and social benefits of education are realised, but supply is limited.
- Schooling is still not free, with parents required to spend money on materials and clothes, as well as losing their children’s labour input.
- Household poverty continues to result in high dropout rates. Some effort has been made to increase enrolment among girls. However, the needs of other sub-groups, including street children and illiterate adults, have yet to be addressed.
The low quality of primary schooling means that education might not contribute to poverty alleviation as expected. While lack of resources is partly to blame, many problems could be overcome by improving the policy process. This should include:
- Encouraging and supporting the involvement of different stakeholders in formulating, designing, implementing and monitoring education policy.
- Developing a comprehensive policy framework based on systematic analysis of the education sector, which assesses the likely impact of policies and supports financially sustainable strategies.
- Adopting an integrated approach to social policy, so as to address some of the wider factors keeping poor children out of school.
- Improving collaboration between the government and donors, which have driven the policy process due to their substantial funding. Financial reliance on a few donors raises concerns about sustainability.
- Building capacity within the Ministry of Education, the lack of which sometimes leads to uncritical adoption of donor recommendations.
- Integrating the interventions of non-governmental organisations, in order to bring the poor children they work with into mainstream education.
