Keypoints:
- Fees abolished in public schools
- Policy targets literacy and drop-outs
- Funding concerns raised by experts
MALAWI’S newly elected president, 85-year-old Peter Mutharika, has moved quickly to deliver on a central campaign pledge by abolishing almost all school-related fees in public primary and secondary education. The reform is intended to expand access to schooling, improve literacy levels and bring down Malawi’s still high drop-out rates.
Fees abolished across public schools
Mutharika announced that tuition fees, examination charges, school development fees and the cost of identity cards used during examinations have all been scrapped. The measure will take effect from January and applies to all pupils in day schools.
‘I also want to direct that no public school should be requesting learners to make contributions towards the School Development Fund and any other fees, except boarding fees,’ Mutharika said.
Boarding fees will remain in place for secondary school pupils living on campus, which the government says reflects the higher cost of providing accommodation.
Officials expect the policy to increase enrolment and reduce the number of children leaving school early, particularly among poorer families.
Drop-out rates remain stubborn
Although Malawi has made progress in recent years, drop-out and repetition remain major obstacles. Figures from the National Education Sector Investment Plan show the primary school drop-out rate fell from 11.7 percent in 2009 to 3.2 percent in 2018. However, only 52 percent of pupils complete primary school, and the repetition rate stands at 24.5 percent.
According to figures quoted by Malawi’s Nation newspaper, only 33 percent of children complete primary schooling and just 4 percent finish upper secondary school. In 2024, 24,371 learners dropped out of primary education and the same number exited secondary education.
The government hopes that removing fees will remove the financial burden that forces many families to withdraw their children from school before completion.
Economic pressures drive the reform
The policy comes amid a severe economic downturn. Malawi has experienced sharp rises in the price of goods and services, with households facing widespread food insecurity. Citing World Bank data, AFP reports that Malawi is the fourth poorest country in the world and most citizens live on less than $2.15 a day, based on 2019 estimates.
Mutharika said the economic situation limits the government’s ability to invest in education and other public services. He noted that GDP growth is projected to reach 2.8 percent in 2025, up from 1.7 percent in 2024, though low agricultural productivity, supply chain constraints and limited industrial capacity continue to weigh on the economy.
He said his administration ‘has already started taking steps to address the gaps’ and restore confidence in the public sector.
Funding concerns and calls for accountability
While many education specialists have welcomed the policy, questions remain about how schools will replace the lost income. Dr Foster Lungu, an education expert at Mzuzu University, said the announcement ‘gives hope’, but warned that without proper funding schools may struggle.
‘Come January, you may find that the schools are not well resourced, and this line of income to the schools was helping to resource those schools. Then it will be a pinch – more or less back to square one,’ he said.
Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono said scrapping fees is an ‘excellent start’ and a ‘progressive move, because national education remains the only real way out of poverty for the African child’.
However, he argued that Malawi’s government must address corruption to make the reform sustainable. Quoting organisations including Transparency International, Chin’ono said around 30 percent of Malawi’s national budget is lost to corruption.
‘If Mutharika successfully stops this 30 percent looting, he could fund free primary and secondary education using the recovered resources… Africa has enough money to fund public services such as education,’ he said.
