THE DEVELOPMENT AND STATE OF ADULT LEARNING AND EDUCATION (ALE) A NATIONAL REPORT OF MALAWI MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT April, 2008 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This National Report is a product of the efforts and commitment of several individuals and Governmental and Non Governmental Organisation representatives at the national and district levels. The collection of data for the report was facilitated by District Community Development Officers in all the 28 districts of the country, whereas the compilation of the actual report was undertaken by a Team of individuals drawn from government and the civil society, whose details are listed in the appendix. Government of Malawi is indebted to this Team. They gave freely their time and resources to make this exercise a success. Their dedication and cooperation throughout the series of preparatory meetings is highly appreciated. The compilation of the report was highly consultative and participatory such that it demanded several logistical arrangements. In this regard, the Government of Malawi is also indebted to Action Aid International Malawi for providing financial support throughout the exercise. Furthermore, thanks go UNDP, through the Functional Literacy for Integrated Rural Development programme (FLIRD) for their technical assistance in the production of the report. Special appreciation is also extended to the support staff at the National Centre for Literacy and Adult Education (NCLAE) for providing various forms of support throughout the preparatory stages of the report writing. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ---------------------------------------------------------------------- II LIST OF TABLES---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IV ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS------------------------------------------------------- V MAP OF MALAWI ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------1 GENERAL OVERVIEW --------------------------------------------------------------------------2 CHAPTER 1: POLICY, LEGISTLATION AND FINANCING -----------------------4 1.1 Legislative and Policy Frameworks of Adult Literacy ------------------------4 1.2 Financing of Adult Literacy Education------------------------------------------9 CHAPTER 2: QUALITY OF ADULT LEARNING AND EDUCATION---------- 13 2.1 Introduction ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 13 2.2 Participation in ALE ------------------------------------------------------------- 19 2.3 Monitoring and Evaluation ----------------------------------------------------- 24 2.4 Adult Educators Status and Training ------------------------------------------ 28 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH, INNOVATIONS AND GOOD PRACTICES -------- 30 3.1 Key Research Studies in the Field of Adult Learning ----------------------- 30 3.2 Innovations and Examples of Good Practices. ------------------------------- 36 CHAPTER 4: ADULT LITERACY-------------------------------------------------------- 39 4.1 Introduction ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 39 4.2 How literacy is defined in Malawi --------------------------------------------- 40 4.3 New Policies and Strategies Adopted and Implemented -------------------- 41 4.4 Examples of Effective Practice and Innovative Literacy Programmes --- 43 CHAPTER 5: EXPECTATIONS OF CONFINTEA VI-------------------------------- 47 5.1 Expected Outcomes from CONFINTEA--------------------------------------- 47 5.2 Issues to be addressed ----------------------------------------------------------- 48 REFERENCES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 50 APPENDIX: MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL REPORT WRITING TEAM-- 51 iii LIST OF TABLES TABLE 1: Funding pattern to Ministry of Education vis-à-vis Adult Literacy ------- 11 TABLE 2: A Taxonomy of adult literacy providers in Malawi ------------------------- 16 TABLE 3: Participation of adult learners from 2000 to 2006 --------------------------- 22 iv ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS AAIM Action Aid International Malawi ADB African Development Bank ADC Area Development Committee AIDS Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome ALE Adult Learning and Education ASUM Association of Sunni Maddrassa BLM Banja La Mtsogolo CBE Complimentary Basic Education CBO Community Based Organisation CCAP Church of Central Africa Presbyterian CDA Community Development Assistant COMSIP Community Savings and Investment Promotion CONFINTEA International Conference on Adult Education CSCQBE Civil Society Coalition on Quality Basic Education CU Concern Universal DA District Assembly DC District Commissioner DCDO District Community Development Officer DEMATT Development of Malawi Traders Trust EFA Education For All FAL Functional Adult Literacy FBO Faith Based Organisation FLIRD Functional Literacy for Integrated Rural Development FTI Fast Track Initiative GDP Gross National Product HIPC Highly Indebted Poor Country HIV Human Immuno Virus ICEIDA Icelandic International Development Agency IMF International Monetary Fund JCE Junior Certificate Education LBP Lake Basin Project LEG Link for Educational Governance M&E Monitoring and Evaluation MAREFO Malawi REFLECT Forum MASAF Malawi Social Action Fund MEDI Malawi Entrepreneurship Development Institute MGDS Malawi Growth and Development Strategy MOEST Ministry of Education Science and Technology MOWCD Ministry of Women and Child Development MOYSD Ministry of Youth and Sports Development MPRSP Malawi Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper MRFC Malawi Rural Finance Corporation v MSCE Malawi School Certificate of Education MUSCCO Malawi Union of Savings and Credit Cooperatives NAFIM Non formal and Forma Educational Initiatives in Malawi NALP National Adult Literacy Programme NASFAM National Smallholder Farmer Association of Malawi NCLAE National Centre for Literacy and Education NESP National Education Sector Plan NGO Non Governmental Organisation NLS National Library Services NSO National Statistics Office PLWA People Living With HIV/AIDS PSLCE Primary School Leaving Certificate of Education REFLECT Regenerated Freirean Literacy through Empowering Community Techniques RIC Rural Information Centre SADC Southern Africa Development Community SCC Swedish Cooperative Centre SDIG Skills Development and Income Generation SEDOM Small Entrepreneurship Development of Malawi SSEEP Sustainable Social Economic Empowerment for Poverty Reduction STAR Societies Tackling AIDS through Rights TEVETA Technical Education and Vocational Entrepreneurship Training TOT Training of Trainers UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNESCO United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation UNLD United Nations Literacy Decade VDC Village Development Committee WRHS Work for Rural Health Services vi MAP OF MALAWI 1 GENERAL OVERVIEW Malawi is a small, beautiful and landlocked country in southern Africa bordering with Tanzania on the north, Zambia on the west and Mozambique on the east and south. With a population of close to 12 million people against a land holding size of 120,000 sq km, Malawi has a population density of 90,000 people per square km, making it one of Africa's smallest but most densely populated countries. Of these, 51% are female and 49 % are male (GOM, 1998). Landlocked Malawi ranks among the world’s least developed countries with a GNP per capita estimated at US$200 and the real growth in GNP per capita of 0.5% in 2008. Agriculture accounts for 40% of the GDP and 88% of export revenue. According to the Integrated Household Survey of 1998, poverty incidence was significantly higher among households headed by females (62.2%) as compared to those headed by males (54.5%). Illiteracy in Malawi remains high, most particularly among women and the poor. In the 1998 population census, only 58% of all adults (15 years and older) were literate. When this is disaggregated in terms of gender, the literacy rates for male adults and female adults are 64% and 51% respectively (NSO, 2000). In 1994, Malawi went through a political transition from a one party dictatorship to a multiparty system of government. Good economic progress has been made in the post 1994 years, particularly in the past three years. Fiscal deficits have been falling and by 2007 inflation had fallen to below 8%. Growth in GDP averaged over 6% in the period between 2004 and 2007. In order to combat poverty and spur economic growth, Government has adopted poverty reduction and economic growth as its operative development philosophy which has consistently underpinned the major development policy frameworks since May 1994. The Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS) which superceeded the Malawi Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (MPRSP) since the beginning of 2007 champions 2 concerted efforts in various areas such as sustainable economic growth, social protection and disaster management, social development and good governance as a platform for mitigating and ultimately combating poverty and promoting growth in the country. The inspiration of the MGDS is to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) targets which aim to halve people living in poverty by 2015. To achieve these targets, literacy is very much acknowledged as the major driving force. In this regard, government has been creating a conducive atmosphere for the operationalisation of adult literacy programme by other players, predominantly, the civil society so much so that the REFLECT approach is among the alternative approaches increasingly adopted and practiced in the country. Furthermore,