Is Education Really Free?

What once looked like a farfetched dream—making secondary school education free—has become a lived experience in Malawi.

This means Malawi has turned yet another corner, after turning the first corner immediately after the multiparty elections of 1994, when the United Democratic Front administration made primary school education free.

Over 30 years have elapsed since the Malawi Government made public primary school education free, meaning that there have, over the years, been lessons learned. For instance, when the government made primary school education free, there were inadequate teachers, such that half-trained teachers were incorporated.

This, unfortunately, diluted education standards.

In addition, some children were accessing free education on empty stomachs while wearing tattered unforms, among other challenges, meaning that their road was not fully paved.

Indeed, the introduction of schemes, such as School Fund, meant some children from resource-constrained households were dropping out of school. Add to that the fact that teachers’ pay remains a pittance and problems besting Malawi educated become clear.

As such, we are hopeful that, when extending the free education initiative to secondary schools, the government did its homework.

Surely, the initiative cannot bear fruit if students, especially those from resource-constrained households, continue to face structural challenges. At the moment, one of the challenges pertains to the payment of boarding fees.

Apparently, some parents and guardians thought that free secondary education means an education without boarding fees. The good thing is that government officials have assured that they are addressing that ‘anomaly’, such that boarding fees are next on the chopping board.

For now, though, considering that challenges abound here and there, we implore the government to explore strategic partnerships with private and non-profit sector players so that students’ education road can be fully paved.

This is why we are lauding the government for joining hands with actors such as World Bicycle Relief, with which it has just signed a memorandum of understanding that will see the two parties collaborating, in terms of efforts aimed at addressing mobility barriers to education.

This is the way to go, more so because distance remains one of the challenges facing Malawi’s education sector.