Malawi
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Overview
A boy smiles at the camera outside
the classroom in Malawi. © Deepa Srikantaiah/GPE
Malawi is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa. One of the most densely populated in this region, its rapidly growing population reached 15.8 million in 2012. Malawi is one of the world's poorest countries, ranked 170th out of 186 countries in the 2013 UNDP Human Development Index.
Malawi joined the Global Partnership for Education in 2009 based on its 2008-2017 Education Sector Plan. The country's education system faces many challenges, including: inadequate school facilities, high dropout rates and pupil-teacher ratios, low completion rate and learning achievement for children in poor rural areas where HIV/AIDS prevalence is high.
Malawi's Education Sector Plan outlines the country's strategy to achieve equitable access to education and improve the quality of learning, system governance and management. The plan aims to expand early childhood education, improve the quality and relevance of basic education, promote technical and vocational training responding to labor market needs, and support higher education and research.
The Government's commitment to education is reflected in its budget: education spending of the national budget has increased from 18.6% to 25.6% between 2009 and 2011. Spending for basic education increased from 55.8% to 59.8% between 2010 and 2011.
GPE and its partners worked actively with the government of Malawi to develop the 2008-2017 Education Sector Plan. The Local Education Group appraised and endorsed Malawi's Education Sector Plan in September 2009.
Malawi received a $90 million GPE grant in 2010. The World Bank is the Supervising Entity and the grant modality used is a sector pooled fund supported by four other partners for a total of $256 million. The grant agreement with the World Bank was signed in 2011 with a closing date in June 2013. A grant extension request is being processed by the World Bank.
In 2011, 61% of children completed primary school, up from 59% in 2009. The share of trained and fully qualified teachers has also increased, with 8,263 new teachers hired in 2010. In poor rural areas, vulnerable children with special needs are being supported. In 2011, 32% of children who completed primary school transitioned to secondary school, down from 40% in 2009. In 2010, 87% of youth aged 15 to 24 in Malawi were literate.
Education Indicators
Out-of-School Children (%)
Number of children of official primary school age who are not enrolled in primary or secondary school, expressed as a percentage of the population of official primary school age. This indicator is intended to measure the size of the population in the official primary school age range that should be targeted by policies and efforts to achieve universal primary education. Country-specific definition, method and targets are determined by countries themselves.
Data were collected from national and other publicly available sources, and validated by the Local Education Group (LEG) in each country. LEGs are typically led by the Ministry of Education and include development partners and other education stakeholders. Data were not processed or analyzed by the Global Partnership for Education. It is reported as it was presented in the original sources, or as it was communicated to us through the Coordinating Agency or Lead Donor of the LEG.
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Primary Completion Rate (%)
The Primary Completion Rate (PCR) is the percentage of pupils who completed the last year of primary schooling. It is computed by dividing the total number of students in the last grade of primary school minus repeaters in that grade, divided by the total number of children of official completing age. Country-specific definition, method and targets are determined by countries themselves.
Data were collected from national and other publicly available sources, and validated by the Local Education Group (LEG) in each country. LEGs are typically led by the Ministry of Education and include development partners and other education stakeholders. Data were not processed or analyzed by the Global Partnership for Education. It is reported as it was presented in the original sources, or as it was communicated to us through the Coordinating Agency or Lead Donor of the LEG.
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(Million)
Total Primary-School Students (Million)
Total population of pupils in primary school, regardless of age. Country-specific definition, method and targets are determined by countries themselves.
Data were collected from national and other publicly available sources, and validated by the Local Education Group (LEG) in each country. LEGs are typically led by the Ministry of Education and include development partners and other education stakeholders. Data were not processed or analyzed by the Global Partnership for Education. It is reported as it was presented in the original sources, or as it was communicated to us through the Coordinating Agency or Lead Donor of the LEG.
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(Thousand)
Total Primary-School Teachers (Thousand)
Persons employed in an official capacity to guide and direct the learning experience of pupils in primary school, excluding educational personnel who have no active teaching duties. Country-specific definition, method and targets are determined by countries themselves.
Data were collected from national and other publicly available sources, and validated by the Local Education Group (LEG) in each country. LEGs are typically led by the Ministry of Education and include development partners and other education stakeholders. Data were not processed or analyzed by the Global Partnership for Education. It is reported as it was presented in the original sources, or as it was communicated to us through the Coordinating Agency or Lead Donor of the LEG.
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Rate
Youth Literacy Rate
The number of persons aged 15 to 24 years who can both read and write with understanding a short simple statement on their everyday life, divided by the population in that age group. Generally, 'literacy' also encompasses 'numeracy', the ability to make simple arithmetic calculations. For further country-specific definition details please refer to the source of information, the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS): www.uis.unesco.org
Source of information: UNESCO Institute for Statistics (www.uis.unesco.org). Please refer to its website for country-specific details on the specific national data sources and method used.
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| 87% | 2010 | |
for Primary Completion Rate
Gender Parity Index for Primary Completion Rate
Ratio of female to male values of Primary Completion Rate. Country-specific definition, method and targets are determined by countries themselves.
Data were collected from national and other publicly available sources, and validated by the Local Education Group (LEG) in each country. LEGs are typically led by the Ministry of Education and include development partners and other education stakeholders. Data were not processed or analyzed by the Global Partnership for Education. It is reported as it was presented in the original sources, or as it was communicated to us through the Coordinating Agency or Lead Donor of the LEG.
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NO DATA AVAILABLE |
Domestic Financing
as % of Total Public Spending
Public Spending on Total Education as % of Total Public Spending
Public expenses devoted to the education sector, including recurrent and capital expenditures and teacher salaries, expressed as a percentage of the total general government expenses. Country-specific definition, method and targets are determined by countries themselves.
Data were collected from national and other publicly available sources, and validated by the Local Education Group (LEG) in each country. LEGs are typically led by the Ministry of Education and include development partners and other education stakeholders. Data were not processed or analyzed by the Global Partnership for Education. It is reported as it was presented in the original sources, or as it was communicated to us through the Coordinating Agency or Lead Donor of the LEG.
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as % of Total Education Spending
Basic Education as % of Total Education Spending
Public expenses devoted to the basic education sector, including recurrent and capital expenditures and teacher salaries, expressed as a percentage of the public spending on total education. Country-specific definition, method and targets are determined by countries themselves.
Data were collected from national and other publicly available sources, and validated by the Local Education Group (LEG) in each country. LEGs are typically led by the Ministry of Education and include development partners and other education stakeholders. Data were not processed or analyzed by the Global Partnership for Education. It is reported as it was presented in the original sources, or as it was communicated to us through the Coordinating Agency or Lead Donor of the LEG.
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External Aid
Aid Disbursement for Total Education (US$ Million)
Sum of international concessional aid disbursed by reporting development partners (donors) to the total education sector in a specific developing country. Targets indicate the sum of the scheduled or projected aid. Accounted aid includes activities, projects, technical cooperation and sector and budget support (20%), as it was reported by donors to the Global Partnership for Education.
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AT A GLANCE
GPE FUNDING
Key Documents
Local Education Group
Local Education Group
A Local Education Group (LEG) is a forum of stakeholders within the education sector who develop, implement, monitor and evaluate education sector plans. All member countries of the Global Partnership have a LEG. They are led by the national government, and are composed of education development partners such as donors and development agencies, teachers' organizations, civil society organizations, and private education providers. Nonetheless, the specific composition, title, and working arrangements of a LEG vary from country to country.