The current Education Sector Implementation Plan (ESIP II 2013/14 – 2017/18) outlines reforms for Malawi aimed at achieving equitable access to education and improving quality, governance, and management in the sector. The reform agenda addresses key challenges in the education sector, provides strategies, indicators of achievement, and the anticipated costs associated with policy implementation.
One of the key areas of education reform focuses on primary education. ESIP II (2013/14 – 2017/18) p. 27 suggests a student-to-textbook ratio of one-to-one for all subjects across all standards. However, the current situation is worse. For example, the ratio of English textbooks to students in standards 5 and 6 is between 4:1 and 6:1, respectively. Additionally, the results of the regional standardized test, which measures cognitive skills in primary education conducted by SACMEC, consistently show Malawi performing well below the regional average.
As a way of improving literacy levels (reading and writing) among learners in upper primary education, the Malawi Institute of Education, under the UPRead project, has embarked on a rigorous project to review the upper Primary Curriculum and Assessment Reform (PCAR). The project’s activities have been facilitated with support from the government of Malawi in collaboration with USAID. This marks the first step towards achieving high-quality education as required by the nation.
In this exercise, MIE has gathered highly experienced professional staff to collaborate and develop sophisticated ideas, methods, and facts that the nation should learn from and lean into. The activities have been categorized into three phases. Phase one focused on the development of materials for Standards 5 and 6, while phase two involved the development of materials for Standards 7 and 8. As a curriculum unit, we believe that the curriculum and books are the means through which we can visualize the future direction of our nation.
The staff deliberately and creatively incorporated critical thinking methods into the books to encourage readers to contemplate the idea of an ideal world we should strive for. Through this approach, we are certain that the nation can be aware of the significant changes taking place globally, and these changes can be integrated into the nation’s development agendas. Similarly, through the curriculum, we aim to highlight the opportunities that arise from global changes to empower young minds to utilize their potential in creating a better Malawi. Conversely, we caution the lazy and indolent about the dangers associated with dishonest and unethical behaviors.
MIE’s highly qualified and experienced Curriculum Specialists plan diligently to ensure that the national curriculum serves as an effective tool to educate and cultivate knowledgeable and skilled citizens capable of becoming competent engineers, doctors, lawyers, professors, educators, managers, and political and religious leaders. We firmly believe that a solid educational foundation for our children is the cornerstone of a successful and improved future for Malawi.
This belief stems from the recognition that the knowledge we possess is of great value. Hence, we highly regard our curriculum, as it introduces us to ways we can harness our local resources for the development of our nation and transform it into a better place to live in.