A national effort to improve primary school Mathematics education has reached an important milestone with the National Mathematics Curriculum Reform Programme (NMCRP). The programme, supported financially and technically, by the UK Government, through the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO), implemented with Ministry of Education, Science and Technology through Malawi Institute of Education has been underway since 2020.
The reform focused on reviewing the Standards 1 to 4 Mathematics curricula, with the aim of improving learning outcomes for all learners, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Under the Programme, 14 Million Teachers’ Guides and Learners’ Workbooks were developed and distributed to 6,000 public primary schools across Malawi.
Over 55,000 teachers from both public and private schools were trained and are now implementing the revised curriculum. In addition, the Initial Primary Teacher Education Curriculum for Standards 1 to 4 Mathematics has been updated in line with the revised Standards 1 to 4 revised Mathematics Curricula and ensure long-term sustainability. Regular monthly review meetings supported implementation, with the final catch-up meeting held at the Malawi Institute of Education Boardroom. Efforts by MIE are underway to make Mathematics books available to private schools at affordable prices.