Education is a fundamental and indispensable human right that is key to the achievement of sustainable development – personal, community and national. Thus, it is not surprising that governments, donors and civil society stakeholders concentrate a lot of their efforts and funding on improving basic, secondary and tertiary education. Adult Learning and Education (ALE), however, is one education subsector that is often overlooked and is consistently under-resourced. Despite the inclusion of adult education as ‘lifelong learning’ in the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 under Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4), the role and importance of ALE in supporting development at all levels, and how it adds value to the other subsectors of education is still poorly understood.

ALE includes all formal, non-formal and informal learning and continuing education (general, vocational, theoretical and practical) undertaken by adults. Typically, participants in ALE are young people and adults who did not previously have the opportunity to enrol in or complete education, as well as those who may have concluded some initial education and training but have decided to return to some form of learning for professional or personal reasons.

One of the major challenges that the ALE subsector faces in Malawi (and indeed elsewhere) is the narrow definition and understanding of the sector both by ALE stakeholders and the general population. Most people in Malawi understand ALE as sukulu za kwacha, referring to the Kwacha Schools that emerged in the 1980s as part of the National Adult Literacy Programme to teach basic literacy and numeracy skills. There is little recognition and understanding that ALE extends far beyond basic literacy and numeracy to include a wide range of practical and life skills that span multiple sectors. This narrow understanding of ALE is also found among the media, who have a critical role to play in conveying information and influencing the thinking of Malawians nationwide. Media coverage on ALE is limited and generally does not reflect the real scope of the subsector beyond literacy and numeracy.

As a way of bridging this knowledge gap, DVV International in Malawi has been working via a series of trainings with members of the media to enhance their capacity as allies advocating on behalf of ALE in the country. The trainings also aim to enable them to produce journalism across various media to inform the public about ALE as a multi-sectoral initiative.

One such training took place in December 2020 with editors and managers of media houses from across the country. Although similar trainings have been conducted with journalists in Malawi previously, it was felt that it was important to engage with the decision-makers of media houses as they are the ones who ultimately decide what ends up in print or on the air.

The training sought to unpack the commonly held misconception that ALE refers simply to Sukulu za Kwacha (from the local Chichewa language) or Kwacha Schools. Time and experience have shown that the needs and interests of adult learners go far beyond the foundational skills of literacy and numeracy to include the acquisition of skills and knowledge that contribute to personal, community and national development.

The members of the media discussed what kinds of stories are considered newsworthy at each of their media houses. These included such areas as business, agriculture, education, the environment and health. The training then showed how ALE links to and adds value to each of these through equipping adults with skills and knowledge that allow them to enhance each of these sectors. This was a revelation to those present who had always viewed ALE as mere literacy acquisition.

Under-reporting on the value and importance of ALE is not unique to Malawi. Rather, it is a global phenomenon. This has a knock-on effect for the funding of the sector. The low visibility of ALE is reflected in the low budget acquisition that is the norm for ALE in most countries worldwide. This is why DVV International in Malawi has made it a priority to work with the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA). MISA is the umbrella organisation representing MISA national chapters in the SADC region. MISA defends and promotes media freedom, freedom of expression and access to information (www.misa.org).

DVV International and MISA Malawi have been working together since early 2020. Another initiative being carried out in partnership is the sponsorship by DVV International of an annual MISA award for the best journalism in the field of ALE. This award is part of a range of annual prizes awarded by MISA to journalists reporting on a variety of sectors. In 2020, ALE was added to this list for the first time and was awarded to two journalists. DVV International plans to continue supporting this award in the coming years as a way of increasing the visibility of the ALE sector in Malawi and the region.

DVV International has been working in Malawi since 2017 with funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).