Publication: The Education System in Malawi
Loading...
Published
2010
ISSN
Date
2012-03-19
2012-04-04
2012-04-04
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
The context of the education system in Malawi is strongly marked by demographic pressure, a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, striking poverty, and very low human and social development. The Malawian education system has to develop within a heavier demographic context than that of its neighboring countries. Malawi's population, estimated at 13 million inhabitants in 2008, is increasing at the rate of 2.4 percent per year. The 5-16 year old age group represents 37 percent of the total population. This is the highest proportion of that age group in the entire Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. It is estimated that the population growth rate will slowly decrease, but that the primary school age group (6-13 years old) will increase by 20 percent between now and 2018. If universal primary education is reached before 2018, primary school places for 4.8 million children will be needed in 2018.This represents 45 percent more primary school places compared to 2008.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank. 2010. The Education System in Malawi. Africa education country status report,World Bank working paper ; no. 182. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/5937 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Digital Object Identifier
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Publication Greening Digital in Korea(Washington, DC, 2022-02)Digital technologies are making a significant impact on societies, economies, and the physical world, presenting both opportunities and challenges for the green agenda. Applications of these technologies in sectors such as energy, urban, transport, and agriculture are creating new possibilities for climate change mitigation strategies. However, the rapid expansion of digital technologies increases energy usage too, and is therefore also increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In seeking to address these challenges, the World Bank’s Digital Development Global Practice (DD) will publish a flagship report on Digital Development Opportunities for Climate Change, which will assess opportunities for greening with information communication technology (ICT), as well as opportunities for greening the ICT sector itself. To inspire and inform this flagship report, DD studied Korea’s experience in greening its ICT sector, with support from the Korean Green Growth Trust Fund. The Republic of Korea was selected for the case study due to its experience in both the digital and green sectors, and its status as a globally recognized ICT powerhouse. The country was also an early adopter of a green policy agenda, and is integrating DNA (data, network, and AI) into these policies. The government announced a national policy vision of “Low Carbon, Green Growth” in 2008 and has taken concrete steps to build a solid foundation for the green transition, through legislation, standardization, information-based instruments, economic instruments, research and development (R&D), and green procurement. More recently, the country has been aligning its green ICT strategy with the broader national GHG reduction target. Korea's experience can offer meaningful lessons to other countries looking to reduce the ICT sector’s climate impact. It shows that public policies have an important impact on the ICT market. The policy tools that can spur decarbonization of the ICT sector include green government procurement, information-based instruments, economic instruments, and provision of guidelines on green business practices. Keys to success in applying such tools include strong and early political commitment; long-term planning and comprehensive policies; prioritization; research and development (R&D) and investment; and a governance structure that allows a whole-of-government approach. Additionally, Korea’s experience shows that renewable energy will play an increasingly important role in reducing GHG emissions from the energy-intensive ICT industry. Korea’s experience also underscores the fact that more evidence and analysis are needed to measure and determine the effectiveness of policy and regulatory pathways for greening the ICT sector.Publication Assessing Incentives to Increase Digital Payment Acceptance and Usage(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-01-18)An important step to achieve greater financial inclusion is to increase the acceptance and usage of digital payments. Although consumer adoption of digital payments has improved dramatically globally, the acceptance and usage of digital payments for micro, small, and medium-sized retailers (MSMRs) remain challenging. Using random forest estimation, The authors identify 14 key predictors out of 190 variables with the largest predictive power for MSMR adoption and usage of digital payments. Using conditional inference trees, they study the importance of sequencing and interactions of various factors such as public policy initiatives, technological advancements, and private sector incentives. The authors find that in countries with low point of sale (POS) terminal adoption, killer applications such as mobile phone payment apps increase the likelihood of P2B digital transactions. They also find the likelihood of digital P2B payments at MSMRs increases when MSMRs pay their employees and suppliers digitally. The level of ownership of basic financial accounts by consumers and the size of the shadow economy are also important predictors of greater adoption and usage of digital payments. Using causal forest estimation, they find a positive and economically significant marginal effect for merchant and consumer fiscal incentives on POS terminal adoption on average. When countries implement financial inclusion initiatives, POS terminal adoption increases significantly and MSMRs’ share of person-to-business (P2B) digital payments also increases. Merchant and consumer fiscal incentives also increase MSMRs’ share of P2B electronic payments.Publication Environmental Implications of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)(Washington, DC : World Bank, 2022-07)Two-thirds of central banks in the East Asia and Pacific (EAP) region have started researching or testing the implementation of a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). At the same time, the region accounts for one-third of world CO2 emissions and is vulnerable to climate risks. As the Group of 7 (G7), European Central Bank (ECB), and Bank of England (BoE) have stated in their public statements, it is increasingly important to consider environmental impact when designing CBDC. However, only a few brief studies have been done on this subject, which will be crucial for the region. This Note explores the environmental implications of CBDC by comparing technical mechanisms and energy consumption within its distributed structure. It also illustrates differences in ecological footprint between CBDC and other payment methods (cryptocurrency, cash, and card networks). As the legitimacy of CBDC is backed by the trust of central banks, CBDC does not need to prove its legitimacy through its technological structure. Therefore, CBDC does not require the energy-intensive consensus or mining mechanisms used by a cryptocurrency, so its energy consumption is lower (comparable to that of a credit card system). CBDC can be designed to use various systems, such as Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS), Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), or a mixture of both. Careful deliberation to meet the objectives and implications will be important as CBDC can be a catalyst for financial innovation.Publication Assessment of the Labor Market Information System (LMIS) in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic PDR(Washington, DC, 2022)The Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) has made substantial progress in poverty reduction even though its resource-based development pattern has historically limited the impact of growth on poverty reduction. The objective of the assessment is to support the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (MOLSW) in their planned reforms of labor market institutions and systems in Lao; in particular by supporting investments in a comprehensive Labor Market Information System (LMIS) for improved jobseeker data collection and analytics, jobseeker profiling, and assignment to various employment support programs such as vocational trainings and job search assistance. The target audience of this report is the technical staff and management at the department levels as well as the policy makers at the MOLSW, Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) as well as the Ministry of Finance (MOF).Publication The Behavioral Professional(Washington, DC : World Bank, 2022)Over the past decade, governments, multilateral organizations, and think tanks have been increasingly using behavioral science as an additional tool to understand and tackle complex policy challenges in several sectors. Yet despite this increase in the use of behavioral science for policy design, little attention has been given so far to those individuals responsible for designing and implementing public policies and programs: policy professionals. This note aims to achieve three objectives. first, it highlights recent examples building on work done by the eMBeD team and the World Bank at large on how behavioral bottlenecks can hinder key development goals, from ensuring inclusive and equitable education for all (SDG4) to ensuring good health and well-being (SDG3), among others. Second, the note presents a behavioral framework highlighting the individual, group and institutional contexts that affect policy professionals. Finally, it showcases the relevance of the behavioral approach to a broad range of areas - including public service design, corruption and accountability, service design, access and delivery, civil servants’ performance - by pinpointing common bottlenecks faced, and potential solutions to overcome them.
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Turkey - Education Sector Study : Sustainable Pathways to an Effective, Equitable and Efficient Education System for Preschool through Secondary School Education, Executive Summary(Washington, DC, 2007-12)This Education Sector Study (ESS) is the World Bank's response to the need for a comprehensive study of Turkey's education system, in light of the dramatic changes that are sure to alter the country's social and economic landscape over the next decade. The study was prepared in association with the Education Reform Initiative of the Istanbul Policy Center on the basis of research and dialogue with a wide array of education stakeholders and actors. The overall objective of the ESS is to provide an assessment of current challenges to the education system in Turkey and identify policy options that can complement the country's existing pre-tertiary education strategy. Volume one provides a complete description of challenges, conclusions, and policy options for the reform of pre-school, primary, and secondary education. It includes an Annex that summarizes the research studies and policy notes commissioned to inform the report. Volume II is a collection of the complete research studies and policy notes commissioned for the ESS report.Publication Rwanda - Education Country Status Report : Toward Quality Enhancement and Achievement of Universal Nine Year Basic Education - An Education System in Transition; A Nation in Transition(World Bank, 2011-01-01)The Republic of Rwanda is a relatively small country located in Central Africa with a population of approximately 10 million people, making it one of the more densely populated countries in the world. The current government is taking positive steps to helps the country emerge from its tragic past, and aims to promote reconciliation and unity among all Rwandese and forbids any political activity or discrimination based on race, ethnicity, or relation. The government's effort to deliver basic public services to its population, including education, also follow the spirit of inclusiveness and aims to diminish gender, socioeconomic and geographic disparities. Rwanda's development agenda is entering a new phase as it transitions from post-genocide recovery to producing a population that is regionally and globally competitive and economically and socially secure. The education sector plays a significant role in fulfilling the national agenda. This Country Status Report (CSR) takes stock of recent progress and identifies a new generation of challenges facing the education sector, particularly in the context of ongoing decentralization and the government's recent initiative to extend basic education to nine years of schooling.Publication Turkey—Education Sector Study : Sustainable Pathways to an Effective, Equitable and Efficient Education System for Preschool through Secondary School Education(Washington, DC, 2005-12)This Education Sector Study (ESS) is the World Bank's response to the need for a comprehensive study of Turkey's education system, in light of the dramatic changes that are sure to alter the country's social and economic landscape over the next decade. The study was prepared in association with the Education Reform Initiative of the Istanbul Policy Center on the basis of research and dialogue with a wide array of education stakeholders and actors. The overall objective of the ESS is to provide an assessment of current challenges to the education system in Turkey and identify policy options that can complement the country's existing pre-tertiary education strategy. Volume one provides a complete description of challenges, conclusions, and policy options for the reform of pre-school, primary, and secondary education. It includes an Annex that summarizes the research studies and policy notes commissioned to inform the report. Volume II is a collection of the complete research studies and policy notes commissioned for the ESS report.Publication West Bank and Gaza : Education Sector Analysis - Impressive Achievements Under Harsh Conditions and the Way Forward to Consolidate a Quality Education System(Washington, DC, 2006-09-07)The Palestinian Education System comprises a Mandatory Basic Cycle covering Grades 1 to 10, divided into the Preparation Stage (Grades 1 to 4) and the Empowerment Stage (Grades 5 to 10). Optional Secondary Education covers Grades 11 and 12, with the option of general secondary education, and a few vocational secondary schools. Post secondary education is offered in 11 universities, (10 private and one public), 11 technical colleges (4 government, 2 UNWRA, 4 public and 1 private) which offer mainly 4 year programs. In addition there are 19 community colleges (1 government, 9 public, 2 UNRWA, and 7 private) that offer mainly two-year diploma courses in technical and commercial specializations. The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE) developed in 1999 a five-year Education Development Plan for the period 2000-2005. This was the first time after the establishment of the Palestinian Authority in 1994 that the MOEHE developed a National Plan with a unified vision for the Palestinian education system from pre-school to secondary education.Publication RES-360 Degrees - Resilience in Education Systems : Rapid Assessment Manual(Washington, DC, 2013-01)This manual presents the objectives and procedures for application of the Education Resilience Approaches (ERA) Program s first major tool to aid in assessing resilience in education systems. The RES-360 rapid assessment approach helps both national education institutions (e.g. Ministries of Education) and schools to identify the risks confronting education communities, especially students. It also points to the assets and positive engagement in schools and communities that, if recognized and supported, can make national education programs more relevant and effective in contexts of adversity. In addition to the RES-360 evaluation, ERA is developing tools to assess classroom and school opportunities to foster resilience (RES-School) and a mixed-methods research approach for local researchers and higher education institutions to guide their contributions to education resilience evidence in their countries (RES-Research). As the application of these diagnostic and research tools expands, ERA hopes to systematically collect and disseminate the growing global evidence regarding the resilience of education systems in contexts of adversity and their contributions to mitigating the sources of such adversity.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Ghana Poverty Assessment(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2020-11)After the return to democracy, Ghana achieved significant economic growth and poverty reduction. However, in recent years, the rate of poverty reduction has slowed, becoming insignificant after 2012. The largest reduction in poverty, 2 percent per year, was reached from 1991–1998. Subsequently, the rate of decline fell to 1.4 percent in 1998–2005, 1.1 percent in 2005–2012, and dropped to 0.2 percent per year between 2012 and 2016. The slowdown in poverty reduction was not due to a reduction in GDP per capita growth, which peaked between 2005 and 2012 and remained high between 2012 and 2016. Rather, it was due to a drop in the rate to which economic growth translated into poverty reduction. The growth elasticity of poverty (percentage reduction in poverty associated for every one percentage change in GDP per capita) was 1.2 between 1991 and 1998 but declined to less than 0.1 between 2012 and 2016, indicating a 1 percent increase in GDP per capita led to less than 0.1 percent reduction in poverty.Publication Adolescent Girls in Malawi(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2016-05)Adolescence is a time of transitions that foster both challenges and opportunities. Indeed, choices made during adolescence not only have immediate consequences but also greatly influence the economic opportunities, health outcomes, and skill sets attained later in life, and yet it is the same period when social norms create pathways largely defined by gender. Poverty and ethnic minority status can further magnify gender discrepancies for youth worldwide, as reductions in household spending on education, health care, and nutrition are often more likely to affect adolescent girls than boys. In Malawi, adolescents make up 24% of the total population, a substantial proportion that is expected to become higher than neighboring countries if current trends continue. The high prevalence of child marriage and teenage pregnancy among Malawian girls greatly contributes to the high fertility and population growth trends, and is also closely interrelated with a range of economic and socio-cultural determinants that perpetuate a vicious cycle for the poorest and most vulnerable girls and have costly consequences for them and for the nation as a whole. In order to initiate the potential for a demographic dividend, Malawi will need to initiate a demographic transition. Reducing child marriage and teenage pregnancy can significantly contribute to the fertility declines needed to accelerate this demographic transition and would lead to better life outcomes for adolescent girls and better opportunities for the next generation. Accordingly, this series of policy briefs focuses on four key areas of interventions (or pillars) as follows: (i) maintaining girls in school; (ii) equipping out-of-school girls with skills; and (iii) beginning a family and supporting girls to adopt healthy lifestyles; and (iv) addressing the child development needs of children born to teenage mothers.Publication Malawi Mining Sector Diagnostic(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-05-31)The Mining Sector Diagnostic (MSD), conducted by the World Bank for Malawi, was commissioned by the Ministry of Mining and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs. It uses a comprehensive, data-driven tool to evaluate the entire EI value chain, including the sector’s legal, regulatory, institutional, and operational frameworks. Unlike perception-based surveys or ranking systems, the MSD is grounded in detailed questionnaires and broad stakeholder engagement, drawing on input from government officials, industry representatives, and civil society organizations (CSOs), to generate evidence-based insights. A total of fifty-two questionnaires were returned to the World Bank from the different stakeholder groups. The returned questionnaires contained more than 1,000 comments which provided important context and explanations for the answers given. The results present a mixed picture: nine areas scored high, four were rated low, and only one achieved a very high score. This suggests that, although Malawi has made notable progress in some areas of the mining sector, important gaps remain, and every area assessed still has room for improvement. Human capital limitations also constrain sector development. There is a shortage of skilled professionals in both the private and public sectors, including geologists, mining engineers, mineral processing engineers and environmental experts. Against this backdrop, the MSD presents policy recommendations and priorities for reforms grouped under three thematic pillars: Mining Sector Growth, Environmental and Social Governance, and Benefit Capture and Management. These findings from the MSD and the recommendations outlined in this report are consistent with the objectives of Vision 2063 and Malawi’s Strategic Plan 2022-2027.Publication Digital Progress and Trends Report 2025: Strengthening AI Foundations(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-11-24)The recent rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) has outpaced society’s ability to fully grasp its implications. Unlike technological shifts that have unfolded over decades, AI’s integration is accelerating at an unprecedented speed and scale. Along with AI’s immense opportunities come new responsibilities—especially for ethical deployment, accountability, and alignment with human values—that have few precedents in previous technology revolutions. This 2025 edition of the "Digital Progress and Trends Report (DPTR)" explores how low- and middle-income countries can harness AI to drive inclusive and sustainable development—and avoid being left behind. The report explains what makes AI different from earlier general-purpose technologies and why it matters for development. It introduces the 4Cs, the foundations essential for AI adoption, adaptation, and innovation: connectivity (infrastructure), compute (processing power), context (training data, algorithms, and applications), and competency (digital skills). Drawing on rich, novel data sets, this DPTR benchmarks countries across the 4Cs, analyzes supply and demand dynamics, and identifies market failures and externalities where policy action is urgently needed. This report emphasizes the need for global coordination and targeted interventions to close the widening AI gaps, where resource constraints threaten to exacerbate inequality. Policy insights will help governments unlock AI’s potential while navigating its risks.