ALE Country Profile
Malawi
Country Information
Region:
Language:
Population:
Malawi is divided into four regions (northern, central, southern and eastern). The country has 28 districts, which are further divided into Traditional Authorities governed by chiefs.
The economy is heavily reliant on agriculture, forestry and fishing, with about 82% of the population living in rural areas. The population has slightly more women (51.2%) than men (48.8%). However, women aged 15 and above lag behind men when it comes to literacy, at 65.1% and 71.4% respectively.
In Malawi, ALE is coordinated by The Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare (MoGCDSW), which is the main ALE service provider. There are 9,634 classes across the country which are facilitated by an equal number of volunteers known as literacy instructors. These classes offer basic literacy and numeracy lessons, after which the graduates are equipped with various skills to empower them for socio-economic development and civic engagement within their communities.
The MoGCDSW works with other relevant ministries to promote ALE such as the Ministry of Education and the Technical, Entrepreneurial, Vocational and Education Training Authority (TEVETA). Other important ministries for ALE include the Ministry of Information (Civic Education), the Ministry of Youth and the Ministry of Labour.
In 2020, the Malawi Government approved the National Adult Literacy and Education Policy to guide implementation of ALE services in the country. In 2023, the Government officially launched this Policy alongside the National Adult Literacy and Education Strategic Plan (2022-2027).
According to the Malawi Integrated Household Survey of 2020 (IHS5), Illiteracy levels in Malawi are currently estimated at 24.5%, with 17% for men and 31.2% for women. The case is more pronounced for rural women. The rates is 35.2% compared to 19.4% for rural men. The situation is markedly better in urban areas, where the illiteracy level stands at 5.6% for men and 10.8% for women.
The Catholic University of Malawi and Magomero Community Development College provide diploma courses in ALE aimed at producing skilled staff that can support implementation of ALE across various sectors.
Historically, ALE has been viewed as just literacy and numeracy, without fully recognising its essential role in development across all sectors. This has changed in recent years as German NGO DVV International has worked extensively with the Government, the Malawian chapter of the Media Institute of South Africa (MISA Malawi) and the national ALE Thematic Group to change people's perceptions, recognising ALE's important role in multisectoral development.
The private sector and micro-finance institutions are starting to take an interest in ALE by providing financial literacy and digital skills to their customers. The Reserve Bank of Malawi has launched the National Financial Literacy and Capability Strategy to help empower Malawians with knowledge and skills to enable them to make informed financial decisions and improve their financial wellbeing.
DVV International has been a key partner working with the Government and civil society since 2017. It supports the MoGCDSW with pilot Community Learning Centres (CLCs) in the districts of Dowa, Ntchisi, Mchinji and Ntcheu. It has also supported the MoGCDSW to rollout the ALE Management Information System (MIS). The Integrated Adult Education (IAE) Programme, which combines literacy and numeracy with the acquisition of practical skills (e.g. vocational, entrepreneurship, finance, etc) is being implemented in four districts (Mchinji, Ntcheu, Dowa and Ntchisi).
Read more about DVV International in Malawi HERE.
Read more about CLCs HERE.
Budgetary allocation to ALE has been persistently stagnant at 0.3% of the country’s education budget for the past six consecutive financial years. As a result, the sector struggles to implement planned programmes and introduce new initiatives. Statistics on learner attrition in formal education indicate that greater investment in ALE and non-formal education is essential. These are the systems that pick up any shortfall elsewhere in the education system.
The ALE Thematic Group is advocating for an allocation of 3% to ALE. With this, there is a realistic chance that ALE can respond to the SDGs and adult education frameworks such as the Marrakech Framework. Expansion and increase of projects that have already been successfully piloted, such as Community Learning Centres and Integrated Adult Education (IAE), is also dependent on greater investment in the sector.
Latest from MOJA
-
Illiterate citizens lost at the ballot - Malawi
4 April 2025 | Clement Chinoko | Nation Publications Limited Benefits of ALE In AfricaMalawi will hold general elections on September 16th. What is the impact of illiteracy on the electoral process?
Illiterate citizens lost at the ballot
en -
NATIONAL ADULT LITERACY AND EDUCATION POLICY - Malawi
19 March 2025 | Government of Malawi ALENATIONAL ADULT LITERACY AND EDUCATION POLICY
NATIONAL ADULT LITERACY AND EDUCATION POLICY
en
