Case Study : Malawi : Education and Child Rights in Malawi

Research Finding On The Quality Of Child Education In Malawi

Research Prepared By Creccom

1.0 Poor relationship between communities and schools

Neither local communities nor schools understand the relationship between "democracy" and "free primary education," and this misunderstanding (among parents, children, and teachers) negatively affects educational quality and community participation in school. Problems arising from this situation include:-

1. Teachers uninterested in associating with local communities
2. Laissez faire attitude among teachers.
3. Local communities ignorant of the role they can play in the life of the school.
4. Weak school committees and Parent Teacher Associations.
5. Less enthusiasm on self help projects among local communities.
6. Vandalism of school property by pupils.

2.0 Negative Community reaction to circumstances

1. Community frustration and despair resulting from delayed government or donor financial support for community development projects.
2. Negative reaction to new school calendar :View that January - November schedule does not allow enough and appropriate time for holidays and traditional initiation ceremonies as a result, the striving for formal education declines.

3.0 Pupils prevented from effective learning in school

1. Obstacles include:
   o Overcrowded classes (100+ pupils per teacher).
   o Very small or no classrooms at all
   o Insufficient or no teaching/learning materials (teachers' guides, syllabi, pupils' readers, etc.)
   
   
2. Lack of appropriate school facilities leading to:
   o Pupils having to walk long distances during school hours for safe drinking water.
   o (Pupils) and teachers returning home to use toilet.
   
   
3. Pupils arrive at school tired and late because of:
   o Heavy household chores
   o Fishing or dancing all night
   
   Lack of sleep results in:
   o Restlessness,
   o Sleeping, and
   o Lack of concentration in class
   
   
4. Teacher frustrations Arising from:
   Lack of professional incentives such as:
   
   o In-service training
   o Supervision, and Encouragement from district education officials
   o Prospects of promotion
   
   Understaffing
   
   Inappropriate allocation of classes and subjects by some head teachers
   
   Teacher tardiness and early departure.
   
   Misuse of class time on activities that include:
   o Chatting outside classroom
   o Private business endeavours
   o Drinking beer
   o Engaging in relationships with school girls
   o Boycotting classes if pupils misbehave
   
   
5. Lack of proper teacher orientation
   o Lack of teacher orientation to new primary curriculum leads to negative attitudes towards using it.
   
   
6. Lack of teacher training
   Lack of training(of unqualified teachers) leads to problems such as:
   o Teaching English language lessons in Chichewa.
   o Poor class organization and management.
   o Inability to use local resources for teaching.
   o Poor personal relationships with other teachers.
   
   
7. Unclear Ministry of Education policies lead to misinterpretation at the local level
   Examples:
   o "Decent dressing" policy interpreted differently among schools.
   o Moslem students excused from classes for part of Friday but non-Moslem students must attend.
   o Classification of school subjects into "examinable" and "non-examinable" leads to poor coverage of the latter.
   o Lack of community level understanding of ministry's pre-school policy
   o Use of multiple choice testing for public exams viewed as encouraging cheating, laziness among teachers and pupils, and not aiding language development skills among pupils.

Conclusion
Some GABLE SMC findings regarding access to education still emerge as issues of educational quality. But most findings under SMC-EQ were unique to educational quality and did not directly affect access to education.

Improving the Quality of Education

Social Mobilization Campaign for Educational Quality Project (SMC-EQ)

USAID/Creative Center for Community Mobilization (CRECCOM)

This project aims at promoting quality basic education by developing functional school committees that facilitate two way communication between the school and the community, mobilize communities to participate in school development activities and monitor teacher and pupil behavior as well as classroom performance.

The following success stories are taken from the CRECCOM newsletter, November 2001 Issue.

Nkhwali Primary School Fends for Itself, by A. Phiri.

"Nkhwali Primary had reached the verge of losing pupils' interest as they were fed up with sitting on the classroom floor… Their clean clothes quickly became dirty due to the dust in the classroom. It seemed like no one cared about it until the SMC-EQ project came with its community mobilization activities.

The School committee discussed ways of combating the problem at their level. The committee resolved to solve the constraint by making benches for all eight classes in the school. The project was started soon after SMC-EQ sensitization by producing planks, which were used to make the benches. So far, they have made 50 strong benches.

The school committee chair said that their target is to make 100 benches and 100 desks.

In addition, the committee has also built a two-bedroom teachers' house, which is now occupied. The Committee also renovated a three-bedroom house to ease the problem of teacher accommodation.

These initiatives are indications that Nkhwali Primary School is not just lying idle. It is fending for itself rather than waiting for outside assistance. SMC-EQ enlightened people on their responsibility in the management of their school.

School and community members cooperate for Education Quality, by Flora Mvuta.

"For quite a long time school committee members, community leaders, parents, teachers and pupils did not have a clear idea of their roles and responsibilities regarding quality education. But soon after the SMC-EQ sensitization meetings, focus groups discussions and workshops, the situation changed. All began to take action.

Gogo school took the lead. Three teachers' houses were erected on a self-help basis. Soon after the training, the head teacher, Mr. J. Chogodama; his deputy, Mr. S. Kambalame; the school committee chair, Mr. Godex Jere and village headman, Gogo (who is the development chairman), agreed to construct teachers' houses using the bricks that were there for five years just growing moss and grass.

They had realized that their main problem was lack of understanding. Every household in the nine villages of the school catchments would contribute MK 100 and single headed household MK 50. The idea was unanimously supported, and the money was used to buy iron sheets.

This is like a dream to Gogo School because in the past the teachers and the community had lots of quarrels between them. They could not discuss issues of common interest, let alone talk of development at the school.

Teachers are now dedicated to their duties. For instance, they have introduced afternoon sessions.

The community is now highly motivated towards development work. In general, the improved relationship between teachers, committee members and parents has created an environment in which pupils are eager to learn. Credit goes to the SMC-EQ project for making the community realize they can play a significant role towards the improvement of the quality

Source: http://www.usaid.gov/