Our own Malawi, this land so fair,

Fertile and brave and free

With its lakes, refreshing mountain air,

How greatly blest are we.

Hills and valleys, soil so rich and rare,

Give us a bounty free.

Wood and forest, plains so broad and fair,

All beauteous Malawi.

Malawi is blessed with a lot of resources to enable the citizens to live their lives to the fullest! These range from beautiful mountains and the lake to arable land. One of the blessings the country is currently enjoying from the arable land is a bumper harvest of sweet potatoes. People continue to make jokes about how eating lots of these sweet potatoes is going to kill Malawians. Arguably, the ready availability and low prices of the sweet potatoes are behind the ‘potato boom’ being experienced. Neither bread nor cassava is an alternative for many. However, one wonders whether this bumper harvest is being preserved or processed for future use. Or is anyone thinking of initiatives to train people on how to preserve part of this blessing for future use? Ideally, such an initiative would ensure that the country is food secure with a fallback on potatoes in the case of a poor maize harvest due to a number of factors including effects of cyclone Freddy and dry spells.

In March 2023, a number of Southern Region districts were hit by cyclone Freddy leading to the loss of property and lives. Interviewing members of the affected communities elucidated various narratives about the cause of the napolo(water eruption from the ground). One narrative caught my attention: cyclone Freddy was a furious man looking for his wife Anna (cyclone Anna) who left home in 2022 and never came back. Another narrative was putting the blame on political leaders who went to the sea to get satanic powers in preparation for the campaign period. Listening to the tone of these stories one would be convinced that they are true because of how they were being told. Kusadziwa nkufa komwe(ignorance is death) goes the saying. How does one provide a counter narrative to such beliefs?

Before the catastrophic cyclone Freddy, Malawi was already undergoing a skills development training revolution thanks to Kondwani Kachamba. He has travelled across the country teaching people various skills to empower them and to help them earn a living through various production processes aimed at improving their livelihoods. This has seen a lot of people in communities embarking on production of various goods, entrepreneurship, and agri-business. The approach that was taken was a very direct one, helping people realize their potential and using readily available resources to develop something more valuable. This is against a background of people relying on change and handouts to come from elsewhere to improve their lives. A lot of people have testified how their lives have changed after being trained and putting into practice the knowledge and skills obtained.

When we look around us, there are so many issues the world is dealing with. Some of these emerging issues pose daily challenges that have a bearing on our lives. The question is, how do we survive such challenges? How do we move on from here? How do we make the world a better place to live in? The stories above show that there is an urgent need for adult education to address various issues, and so that people can tackle challenges armed with facts.

Adult Education is one of the main solutions for addressing the problems facing the world today. Adult education comprises a range of activities designed for the purpose of supporting learning among those whose age, social roles, or self-perception defines them as adults. This doesn’t only include those who are in their 40’s, 50’s, but also includes youth and anyone defined as an adult, which varies in different cultural and national contexts. Adult education is a core component of life-long learning, which takes place from the cradle to the grave. Throughout our lives, our learning needs are constantly evolving as we struggle to navigate in an ever-changing society. Arguably, if we stop learning, we stop living and become obsolete. The quest for knowledge should therefore be the desire of every individual. It is the responsibility of each of us to improve ourselves in whatever we do. Whether we have gone through formal schooling or not, we still have to upgrade our knowledge and skills throughout our lives.

One major challenge is that for a long time adult education has been narrowly understood as literacy education.

This conceptualisation has affected advancement and implementation of adult education programmes. The 5^th Integrated Household Survey (2020) shows that Malawi has a literacy rate of 75.5% among people aged 15 years and above. This rate is higher for males, at 83%, than for females at 68.8%. Analysis by place of residence shows that 98.1% of individuals in urban areas are literate compared to 72.1% in rural areas. Malawi’s 2018 Population and Housing Census revealed that 84% of the population lives in rural areas. These are people that have the energy and potential to bring about change. More adult education initiatives to be introduced in these parts of the country. There is an urgent need to re-think our adult education systems, particularly in the face of modern challenges such as climate change and ongoing economic crises.

As recommended by UNESCO (2015), adult education should embrace three fields – literacy, skills development, and citizenship. Literacy is just a starting point. It is foundational and helps us to access further education and training. It also opens our minds so that we can better understand the world around us. Having laid this foundation, the focus should be on enhancing our knowledge and skills so that we can improve our livelihoods and adequately address various challenges. Thereafter, we can apply our skills and knowledge as responsible citizens participating in the development of our communities. Once we have reached this level of education, the focus should be on an integrated approach to development.

To address the challenges of adult education, the Malawian government ratified the National Adult Literacy and Education Policy in February 2020. The goal is to reduce illiteracy and enhance skills development and education amongst adults and youths for effective participation in personal, community, and national development. The existence of the policy helps to provide an enabling environment for the implementation of adult education activities. It is further supported by linkages to other policies and legislation, both national and international. Building on this, the government in partnership with civil society developed the National Strategy for Adult Literacy and Education (2022-2027), which operationalises the policy and aims to guide ALE stakeholders implementing programmes for youths and adults in the country.

Nonetheless, it is important to mention that simply having an enabling environment is not sufficient for the advancement of adult learning and education. There is a need for consensus among stakeholders so that efforts are coordinated and bear fruit. There is also a need for adequate institutional arrangements, an implementation structure, and sufficient and qualified human resources to implement adult education programmes. Management and leadership structures must be strengthened, and effective partnerships must be developed so that the ALE system is sustainable. It is also important to involve participants in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of adult education activities so that programmes are truly responsive.

Adult learning and education programmes should be a key component of our national development plans as we work towards the realisation of the country’s Vision 2063.