Malawi Ministry of Education

Malawian government takes a good care of the education. The education system is taken care of by the Malawi Ministry of Education and human Resources. The Malawi Education Ministry has worked hard for the promotion of education but has often faced some problems regarding the areas of equality, access, quality and a few more.

This problems have spread their wings in last six or ten years. The Malawi Ministry of Education has tried to cope up with the situation by promoting free primary education. This brought a good result for them. The number of students who enrolled their names for free education has increased. In fact, the figure rose from 1.9 million to 3.2 million in one academic year. But this rise has caused a few problems as well. The quality of teachers is a section where they had to compromise because of the shortage of quality teachers. The school inspection, inadequate classrooms are some of the other problems. But the Malawi Ministry of Education is now taking positive steps to come out of these problems and is partly successful as well.

The target of the Malawi Ministry of Education is very clear. They want to reach to that stage of educational development where all the citizens of the country are functionally literate. Their efforts are now bringing good results as the number of educated children and women in Malawi has increased. The education related to the technical training is also given a lot more professional touch. It is categorized as the post secondary non university studies. Such developments in education provided by the Malawi Ministry of Education helps the citizens to learn more and ensure a better future for them.

The basic education system in Malawi is divided between three educational institutions. The last and perhaps most significant one of them are the Malawi Universities. The students are allowed to enter here after they complete their eight years in primary schools and four years in the secondary schools. According to the 8-4-4 education system in Malawi, the students have to spend four years in the Malawi Universities to complete their course. The courses provided by the universities here cost a little, especially if compared to the free primary education and the secondary education which also doesn’t cost much. But the government is taking positive steps in order to promote education and course fees in the universities have been deducted as a part of that program. The increasing number of admission in universities prove that they plan worked. However, there are five universities in Malawi. They are:

University of Malawi:

 The University of Malawi was established in 1965. The university aims to spread the light of education and wisdom all over the country. It offers a variety of bachelor’s degree and a few master’s degree courses. It has five colleges that are governed by this university and these are spread in the central and southern regions of the country.It is situated in Zomba, in the southern parts of Malawi, the University of Malawi is an educational establishment comprising of five colleges. The University of Malawi was founded in the year 1964, after the country gained its freedom. The institution is also known as UNIMA. The names of the five colleges under the University of Malawi are:

• Chancellor College
• Malawi Polytechnic
• Bunda College of Agriculture
• College of Medicine
• Kamuzu College of Nursing

The Chancellor College is the largest college among all the other colleges of Malawi University. Presently, there are 1,812 students along with 262 academic and management staff. The college comprises of four faculties, which include:

• Faculty of Science
• Faculty of Law
• Faculty of Education
• Faculty of Social Science

The Malawi Polytechnic is located in the Blantyre city. This college of Malawi Varsity consists of five faculties, namely:

• Commerce: Business Administration and Management, Accountancy
• Engineering: Mechanical, Civil and Electrical Engineering
• Education and Media Studies: Journalism and Media Studies, Technical Education
• Applied Studies: Mathematics and Statistics, Environmental Health and many more

Situated in Lilongwe, the Bunda College of Agriculture of University of Malawi offers courses on:

• Agricultural Engineering
• Animal Science
• Crop Science
• Language and Development Communication and many more

The College of Medicine, of the University of Malawi offers degree courses in Science of Medicine and it is divided into two disciplines, namely Basic Medical Science and Clinical Science. The departments under the faculty of Medicine are:

• Anatomy
• Biochemistry
• Hematology
• Biochemistry
• Pediatrics
• Microbiology and many more

The students of Malawi University are very hard working and they engage themselves in various types of extra curricular activities. Interaction between student and teacher is widely promoted in the University of Malawi.

University of Livingstonia:

 The University of Livingstonia on the other hand was established in 2003 which offer degrees for primary and secondary school teacher education. This university is in the Rumphi district in Malawi and has five constituent colleges. These are College of Theology, College of Commerce, Ekwendeni Nursing School, Livingstonia Technical College and College of Education.It is situated in Livingstonia, Malawi; the University of Livingstonia was founded in the year 2003. At its inception, the institution had only twenty-five pupils and Dr. Henry Kirk was the first Vice Chancellor of the varsity. The University of Livingstonia provides quality education to the students coming from secondary church schools. Apart from offering various courses to the students within the country, the institution also conducts many research oriented programs for the pupils. The Livingstonia University inspires students to become global leaders and excel in their field of education. Presently, the institution comprises of five major colleges namely,

• College of Commerce
• College of Theology
• Ekwendeni Nursing School
• Livingstonia Technical College
• College of Education

There are two campuses of the Livingstonia Varsity namely, Livingstonia Campus and Ekwendeni Campus. The administrative headquarter of this institution is located in the Livingstonia Campus along with the Livingstonia Technical College and College of Education.

The former college offers courses in business administration, drafting secretarial science, computer science and repair of motor vehicle. The latter college of the Livingstonia University provides training to students for becoming good teachers. At present, it has a total of one hundred and sixty-nine students.The College of Commerce has a total of ninety students learning the skills of trades. This college of the University of Livingstonia offers courses to the pupils for becoming successful businessmen. The Livingstonia Technical College of the Ekwendeni Campus has a total of thirty students. The pupils are trained to become future ministers and serve Christianity. The College of Nursing offers training courses on health care and there are a total of one hundred and ten students in this institution.

Catholic University of Malawi:

 The Catholic University of Malawi is in Chiradzulu District in Malawi and has five constituent colleges that offer courses on social science to special needs education. Situated at Montfort, in Malawi, the Catholic University of Malawi was established in the year 2006, 28th October. At present, the institution is having shortage of important books and various other study materials. The researcher, Menno Welling who is the Dean of the Faculty of the Social Sciences of this institution, received personal computers, fax machines and printers for the Catholic University of Malawi. The admission of students started from 2006.The university has many learned professors and lecturers who are the integral part of this Catholic University in Malawi. Prof. Schoffelers and Menno Welling are the two most professors of this University among others. Institution comprises of many lecture halls where students receive quality education from the professors. Presently, the Catholic University of Malawi offers courses in these following subjects:

• Bachelor of Arts in Education,
• Bachelor of Science in Education
• Bachelor of Social Science (Social Work)
• Bachelor of Arts in Special Needs Education
• Bachelor of Science in Special Needs Education

The Malawi, Catholic University has recently built a new library where a total of one hundred and fifty students can sit and read books. The academic staff of this Catholic University of Malawi comprises of people from different religion. The Catholic University of Malawi inspires students to become successful in their field of education and become the global leaders of the future. Interaction between students is highly appreciated by the authorities of the Catholic University, in Malawi.

Mzuzu University:

 The Mzuzu University is situated in the northern region and plans to open education centers to the other parts of the country. Thus the universities in Malawi are spreading education all over the country and helping the government in their mission.The Mzuzu University was founded in the year 1997 by a Parliament Act and is the second national varsity of Malawi. Apart from imparting quality education to the students, this institution also focuses on the economical and social requirements of the students. The Mzuzu University also conducts various research oriented programs and professional training for the pupils.The University of Mzuzu comprises of three faculties providing undergraduate and postgraduate programs to the students. The University of Mzuzu, offers certificates and diplomas in these following courses:

• Bachelor of Arts (Education) – covers 8 semesters in a time span of 4 years.
• Bachelor of Arts (Teaching Studies) – covering 4 semesters in 2 years
• Bachelor of Science (Forestry) – covers 8 Semesters in 4 years
• Bachelor of Science (Renewable Energy Technologies) -covers 8 semesters in 4 years.

The Mzuzu Varsity also offers undergraduate programs on Information and Communication Technology, Diploma in Library and Information Science, Education and Health Science Education. The Mzuzu University also offers distance learning courses to the students in humanities and languages and literature. The institution consists of the following departments:

• Humanities
• Languages and Literature
• Mathematics
• Physics
• Biology
• Education and Teaching Studies
• Forestry
• Renewable and Energy studies
• Chemistry and many more

The students of the Mzuzu University can avail the accommodation facilities offered the institution. Apart from studies the students are also engaged in various types of sports activities like basketball, football and other indoor games. Each year the students form groups and contend for the Vice Chancellor’s Cup.

The students of this varsity are also being benefited with counseling sessions and proper guidance is provided by the professors to improve their learning.

Colleges in Malawi

The University of Malawi comprises of the most important colleges in Malawi. There are five colleges under this prestigious institution which has become popular over the years. Following are the names of the most important Malawi Colleges:

• Malawi Polytechnic
• Chancellor College
• Bunda College of Agriculture
• College of Medicine
• Kamuzu College of Nursing

The Chancellor College is the largest college among all the other colleges in Malawi Currently, there are 1,812 students along with 262 academic and management staff. The college consists of four faculties, which are:

• Faculty of Science
• Faculty of Law
• Faculty of Law
• Faculty of Social Science
• Faculty of Education

Placed in Lilongwe, the Bunda College of Agriculture offers courses on:

• Agricultural Engineering
• Crop Science
• Language and Development Communication
• Animal Science and many more

The Malawi College of Medicine offers degree programs in Science of Medicine. The departments under the faculty of medicine are:

• Anatomy
• Biochemistry
• Pathology
• Microbiology
• Obstetrics and Gynecology

The Malawi Polytechnic is situated in Blantyre, in Malawi. This Malawi college of consists of five faculties, namely:

• Engineering: Mechanical, Civil and Electrical Engineering
• Commerce: Business Administration and Management, Accountancy
• Applied Studies: Mathematics and Statistics, Environmental Health
• Education and Media Studies: Journalism and Media Studies, Technical Education

Apart from these colleges, there are many other important colleges in Malawi, namely:

• College of Commerce
• Ekwendeni Nursing School
• Livingstonia Technical College
• College of Theology
• College of Education

The Livingstonia Technical College offers courses in business administration, drafting secretarial science, computer science and in other subjects. The Malawi College of Education provides training to students to become good teachers. At present, it has a total of one hundred and sixty-nine students.

Schools in Malawi

The educational system in Malawi is generally categorized into three main divisions namely, Pre-schools, primary schools and the secondary Malawi schools. The Association of Pre-schools Playgroups or APPM is a charitable non-governmental establishment helping the poor children in getting proper education. The first Malawi Pre -school was found in the year1966 at the city Blantyre. This organization in Malawi mainly serves the children belonging to low income groups. APPM underscores on the emotional and social development of the child along with academic growth. At present, there are three hundred Malawi pre-schools under this organization providing basic education to more than 15,000 children in Malawi. The various early childhood development programs are conducted under the APPM organization and serves private as well as community owned kindergarten schools in Malawi.

The country has been divided into various education divisions to manage the large number of primary schools in Malawi. The Malawi ministry of Education has taken steps to streamline the education system in Malawi. The primary institutions in Malawi are divided into smaller groups and the concept of free primary education has gained immense popularity. Due to the introduction of this system there is a huge increase in the number of students going to these Malawi schools. In Malawi, the primary education starts at the age of six. The pupils get the primary school leaving certificate after passing out eighth standard. The names of important primary schools in Malawi are:

• Mwaya Primary School
• Blantyre Primary School
• Matete primary School
• Kamuzu Academy

There are a large number of Malawi secondary schools offering higher education to the students. Located at the Nkhata Bay, the Bandawe Secondary Malawi School is run by the government of Malawi. It is the one and only district government secondary school providing quality education to the students. Following are the few important secondary schools in Malawi:

• Balaka Secondary School
• Bandawe Secondary School
• Bangula Secondary School
• Bangwe youth center
• Blantyre Secondary school
• Bwaila Secondary School
• Central High School
• Chambe Secondary School
• Chichiri Secondary School