Malawi 
report
MALAWI
Overview
A highly impoverished country, Malawi has a dedicated national ICT policy that includes the promotion of ICTs in education. It also has a few innovative initiatives in this area, committed largely to the promotion of ICT access in schools and integrated library and information services and networks.
There are a few noteworthy initiatives in Malawi that attempt to bridge the digital divide. Many of these initiatives depend on donor funding from groups such as the World Bank, Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), Department for International Development (DFID), and the Japanese International Co-operation Agency (JICA).
Country Profile
Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world with a per capita Gross National Income of USD$160.2 It is classified as a least developed country by the United Nations and a highly indebted poor country by the World Bank. The country has a narrow economic base with no mineral resources and is heavily dependent on agriculture. Nearly 90% of the rural population derives their livelihood from agriculture. Agricultural produce accounts for 90% of Malawi's exports. However, the agricultural sector has deteriorated in the past ten years and 80% of the country's population lives in rural areas where access to basic social services is severely limited. The country is very densely populated with a very high rate of forest loss and a fragile environment. Poverty is widespread in both rural and urban areas with nearly half of Malawi's population struggling to live on less than USD$1 a day. Income distribution is very unequal.
A continuing food crisis in Malawi afflicts more than four million people, and more than a million of them are children under the age of five or pregnant women. Food insecurity is not only a major cause of malnutrition, but has also worsened the risk for diseases such as cholera and AIDS.
The Education System
Malawi has an 8-4-4 education system consisting of primary school, secondary school, and university, which is the duration of compulsory education. Most children start formal education at primary school at the age of six. The primary school takes eight years from Standards 1 to 8 at the end of which pupils write the Primary School Leaving Certificate examinations. The introduction of free primary education in Malawi has seen a large increase in the number of pupils, but this increase in access has also brought major infrastructure problems and a decline in quality.
Secondary school education takes four years from Forms 1 to 4. Students can attend secondary school in public schools run by the government or in private schools run by the private sector and individuals. The quality of secondary education varies widely. In general, fees in private schools are more than 50 times that in public schools. For a long time, secondary education was very restrictive in Malawi but this situation is changing positively due to rapid expansion of private schools as well as government-run community day secondary schools.
Malawi has two universities: the University of Malawi, which opened in 1965, and Mzuzu University, which opened in 1997. Technical and training colleges offer courses in fields such as forestry, marine science, social welfare and hotel management, as well as in various trades. These courses lead to certificates awarded after studies lasting between six months and four years. Primary school teachers are trained in primary teacher-training colleges. The Malawi Institute of Education provides introductory courses to give school leavers the basic skills to act as “assistant” or “pupil teachers.” Secondary school teachers are trained at Chancellor College, which offers a four-year educational programme, and at a college of education for secondary school teachers at Domasi in Zomba. The Mzuzu University now also trains secondary school teachers. Primary school enrolment rates remain high, with no gender gap. However, the education system in Malawi faces many challenges in most areas including access, equity, quality, and internal efficiency. HIV/AIDS affects nearly a million people, including 83,000 children. Nearly a third of infected mothers pass the virus to their babies. Half of Malawi's one million orphans have lost one or both parents to AIDS. Child abuse, sexual exploitation, and child labor are serious problems, especially among girls and orphans.
Malawi's economy also suffers a serious skills deficit, especially in the ICT sectors. Malawi reportedly has 20 skilled librarians of which only 20% have ICT skills.
Infrastructure
As is the case with most other developing countries, Malawi faces a number of human and financial resource constraints to the development of its ICT sector. These include underdeveloped ICT infrastructure, high cost of telecommunications, and unstable and unreliable power. Malawi adopted a communication policy in 1998, which has universal access, rural connectivity, liberalization, and private sector involvement as key objectives. It has also established the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA).
ICTs in Education
The implementation of the policy will be centrally co-coordinated and supported by key sector agencies and institutions. The following institutions or agencies will play a central role:
· Ministries responsible for ICT matters
· The Department of Information Systems Technology and Management Services (DISTMS)
· Malawi Communication Regulatory Authority (MACRA)
· The National Information and Communication Technology Council (NAICT)
The Ministry of Education's responsibility will be to promote and facilitate the ICT skills acquisition and utilization in all areas and levels of education and training in order to eliminate illiteracy in the country, while the Ministry of Gender, Child Welfare and Community Service will ensure that disadvantaged and marginalized communities participate fully through specific ICT initiatives. The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture is responsible for promoting the active participation of boys, girls, women and disadvantaged groups through ICT clubs and other promotional incentives.
The NICTC is a national body chaired by the president or the vice president with the mission to provide national leadership on all matters relating to the development of the Malawian information society. The Malawi Information and Communication Technology Agency (MICTA) was also established as a statutory and autonomous agency to act as the national ICT implementation and co-ordination body under the direct supervision of the NICTC and to act as its secretariat.
Current ICT Initiatives and Projects
Project: Computers for African Schools Malawi (CFAS)
The Computers for Malawian School scheme's administrative committee is made up of academic and business representatives, as well as Ministry of Education and British Council personnel. The British Council receives the goods exempt of duty in Lilongwe. They are transferred to the SchoolNet facilities in Blantyre where the SchoolNet staff check, process, and repair the equipment. Microsoft OS and MSOffice are installed by agreement with Microsoft. The SchoolNet team also sets up the computers at the recipient schools. As in all recipient countries, strict criteria are applied to the candidate schools to ensure they have the right facilities and security to house the equipment. Each school receives 10 to 15 computers and a printer. Training of the teachers in ICTs has been arranged by the British Council, and UK trainers have traveled to Malawi to carry out training courses. In conjunction with the scheme, the Malawian Ministry of Education has developed an ICT curriculum.
· Organization(s): Malawian Ministry of Education
· Funding source: British Council and SchoolNet Malawi
· For more information: www.cfas.org.uk
Project: Various projects by MALICO
MALICO was established in May 2003 as a consortium of organizations that combine talents and resources to promote and deliver library and information services for Malawi and the global community. Its institutional membership organization participates in the acquisition and delivery of relevant electronic resources. MALICO's mission is also to offer leadership in library co-operation, training and development, mechanisms for improved access to information, an and a capacity for members to respond to the information needs of the country. The consortium's objectives include encouraging national, regional, and international cooperation among information stakeholders in Malawi; influencing information policy in Malawi; promoting adequate ICT infrastructure for members, especially sufficient Internet bandwidth; assisting in the development of appropriate ICT skills at all levels; facilitating access to electronic journal articles in international databases; organizing and digitizing Malawian content; and providing information consultancy.
MALICO bought four VSATs, which were mounted on three University of Malawi campuses and at the Mzuzu University in February 2005. This lays the basis for MALICO to support the planned National Education Research Network (NREN). MALICO contributes to subscription of e-resources by PERI and the electronic Information for Libraries (eIFL) and access e-resources from a host of institutions such as WHO, FAO, INASP, and CTA. They also assist with digitizing Malawi publications. For instance the College of Medicine has digitized over 300 publications, and University of Malawi has reportedly bought digitization equipment. This project also involves creating institutional repositories through post-graduate degree programmes. MALICO's Internet for Influence Program, which was initiated by the British Council, involves librarians training various groups on how to use computers and access the Internet. Training programmes include women members of parliament, young women leaders, lawyers, and journalists.
Malawi Research and Education Network (MAREN) is another MALICO project that involves establishing high-speed Internet connectivity among tertiary education institutions. National research and education networks are national organizations in Africa and elsewhere-representing groups of tertiary education institutions. Their mandate includes, among other things, improving Internet connectivity for members. MAREN is also is one of the founding members of the UbuntuNet Alliance for Research and Education Networking. MAREN has two founder members: the University of Malawi and Mzuzu University. Two other institutions are in the process of joining: the National College of Information Technology (NACIT), a tertiary institution; and the Department of Agricultural Research, a research institution. Two new universities are likely to join within the year.
· Organization(s): Malawi Library Information Consortium (MALICO)
· Funding source: Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) and with supplementary funding from the Open Society Institute and the World Bank and the University of Malawi Dossani Trust
· For more information: www.malico.mw
Project: SchoolNet Malawi
SchoolNet Malawi is a non-governmental, non-profit organization formed to provide and facilitate access to ICTs in Malawian schools. The ICT for schools concept is very new in Malawi and the initiating organization itself is still in the conception stage. The ICT development for schools concept was hatched after the SchoolNet Africa Cape Town Declaration (September 1999) represented by 10 African countries of which Malawi was one. This initiative was facilitated by the International Development Research Center (IDRC) and SchoolNet South Africa.
SchoolNet Malawi sources second-hand PCs from various agencies, such as Computer Aid International, Computers for African Schools, and World Computer Exchange, and refurbishes and distributes them to Malawian schools based on detailed selection criteria. The organization also conducts training programmes for both the teachers and students after each successful distribution phase. To date six schools have their own Web sites supported by SchoolNet Malawi.
As a partner of SchoolNet Africa, SchoolNet Malawi also participates in SchoolNet Africa programmes such as its Campaign for 1 Million PCs, and ThinkQuest Africa (now called Mtandao Afrika). The latter programme involves both the students and the teachers and provides them with advanced knowledge on how to create personal Web sites in the local language. This has become a sort of competition, with the winners enjoying a camping holiday in an African country. The participants are also given certificates of participation. In 2006, SchoolNet Malawi partnered with Malawi Open Source Society to lobby and advocate for the use of open source in schools. Together they hosted a workshop with the support of OSISA in early 2006.11
SchoolNet Malawi also employs volunteers on both the technical and training side. Volunteers assist with testing and maintaining computers, packing computers for distribution in schools, and training teachers and students. SchoolNet Malawi's partners include the British Council Malawi, Computers for Africa (CFAS), ComputerAid International, Old Mutual, Malawi Telecommunications Limited,
Reserve Bank of Malawi, ComputerLand Limited, Microsoft South Africa, Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA), and SchoolNet Africa. To date SchoolNet Malawi has distributed more than 832 computers to 50 participating schools.
· For more information: www.schoolnetmalawi.org
Project:
University of Mzuzu
The University of Mzuzu offers library and information science and ICT degree programmes.
For more information: http://www.mzuni.ac.mw
profile
MALAWI
Overview
A highly impoverished country, Malawi has a dedicated national ICT policy that includes the promotion of ICTs in education. It also has a few innovative initiatives in this area, committed largely to the promotion of ICT access in schools and integrated library and information services and networks.
There are a few noteworthy initiatives in Malawi that attempt to bridge the digital divide. Many of these initiatives depend on donor funding from groups such as the World Bank, Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), Department for International Development (DFID), and the Japanese International Co-operation Agency (JICA).
Country Profile
Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world with a per capita Gross National Income of USD$160.2 It is classified as a least developed country by the United Nations and a highly indebted poor country by the World Bank. The country has a narrow economic base with no mineral resources and is heavily dependent on agriculture. Nearly 90% of the rural population derives their livelihood from agriculture. Agricultural produce accounts for 90% of Malawi's exports. However, the agricultural sector has deteriorated in the past ten years and 80% of the country's population lives in rural areas where access to basic social services is severely limited. The country is very densely populated with a very high rate of forest loss and a fragile environment. Poverty is widespread in both rural and urban areas with nearly half of Malawi's population struggling to live on less than USD$1 a day. Income distribution is very unequal.
A continuing food crisis in Malawi afflicts more than four million people, and more than a million of them are children under the age of five or pregnant women. Food insecurity is not only a major cause of malnutrition, but has also worsened the risk for diseases such as cholera and AIDS.
The Education System
Malawi has an 8-4-4 education system consisting of primary school, secondary school, and university, which is the duration of compulsory education. Most children start formal education at primary school at the age of six. The primary school takes eight years from Standards 1 to 8 at the end of which pupils write the Primary School Leaving Certificate examinations. The introduction of free primary education in Malawi has seen a large increase in the number of pupils, but this increase in access has also brought major infrastructure problems and a decline in quality.
Secondary school education takes four years from Forms 1 to 4. Students can attend secondary school in public schools run by the government or in private schools run by the private sector and individuals. The quality of secondary education varies widely. In general, fees in private schools are more than 50 times that in public schools. For a long time, secondary education was very restrictive in Malawi but this situation is changing positively due to rapid expansion of private schools as well as government-run community day secondary schools.
Malawi has two universities: the University of Malawi, which opened in 1965, and Mzuzu University, which opened in 1997. Technical and training colleges offer courses in fields such as forestry, marine science, social welfare and hotel management, as well as in various trades. These courses lead to certificates awarded after studies lasting between six months and four years. Primary school teachers are trained in primary teacher-training colleges. The Malawi Institute of Education provides introductory courses to give school leavers the basic skills to act as “assistant” or “pupil teachers.” Secondary school teachers are trained at Chancellor College, which offers a four-year educational programme, and at a college of education for secondary school teachers at Domasi in Zomba. The Mzuzu University now also trains secondary school teachers. Primary school enrolment rates remain high, with no gender gap. However, the education system in Malawi faces many challenges in most areas including access, equity, quality, and internal efficiency. HIV/AIDS affects nearly a million people, including 83,000 children. Nearly a third of infected mothers pass the virus to their babies. Half of Malawi's one million orphans have lost one or both parents to AIDS. Child abuse, sexual exploitation, and child labor are serious problems, especially among girls and orphans.
Malawi's economy also suffers a serious skills deficit, especially in the ICT sectors. Malawi reportedly has 20 skilled librarians of which only 20% have ICT skills.
Infrastructure
As is the case with most other developing countries, Malawi faces a number of human and financial resource constraints to the development of its ICT sector. These include underdeveloped ICT infrastructure, high cost of telecommunications, and unstable and unreliable power. Malawi adopted a communication policy in 1998, which has universal access, rural connectivity, liberalization, and private sector involvement as key objectives. It has also established the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA).
ICTs in Education
The implementation of the policy will be centrally co-coordinated and supported by key sector agencies and institutions. The following institutions or agencies will play a central role:
· Ministries responsible for ICT matters
· The Department of Information Systems Technology and Management Services (DISTMS)
· Malawi Communication Regulatory Authority (MACRA)
· The National Information and Communication Technology Council (NAICT)
The Ministry of Education's responsibility will be to promote and facilitate the ICT skills acquisition and utilization in all areas and levels of education and training in order to eliminate illiteracy in the country, while the Ministry of Gender, Child Welfare and Community Service will ensure that disadvantaged and marginalized communities participate fully through specific ICT initiatives. The Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture is responsible for promoting the active participation of boys, girls, women and disadvantaged groups through ICT clubs and other promotional incentives.
The NICTC is a national body chaired by the president or the vice president with the mission to provide national leadership on all matters relating to the development of the Malawian information society. The Malawi Information and Communication Technology Agency (MICTA) was also established as a statutory and autonomous agency to act as the national ICT implementation and co-ordination body under the direct supervision of the NICTC and to act as its secretariat.
Current ICT Initiatives and Projects
Project: Computers for African Schools Malawi (CFAS)The Computers for Malawian School scheme's administrative committee is made up of academic and business representatives, as well as Ministry of Education and British Council personnel. The British Council receives the goods exempt of duty in Lilongwe. They are transferred to the SchoolNet facilities in Blantyre where the SchoolNet staff check, process, and repair the equipment. Microsoft OS and MSOffice are installed by agreement with Microsoft. The SchoolNet team also sets up the computers at the recipient schools. As in all recipient countries, strict criteria are applied to the candidate schools to ensure they have the right facilities and security to house the equipment. Each school receives 10 to 15 computers and a printer. Training of the teachers in ICTs has been arranged by the British Council, and UK trainers have traveled to Malawi to carry out training courses. In conjunction with the scheme, the Malawian Ministry of Education has developed an ICT curriculum. · Organization(s): Malawian Ministry of Education · Funding source: British Council and SchoolNet Malawi · For more information: www.cfas.org.uk |
|
Project: Various projects by MALICO MALICO was established in May 2003 as a consortium of organizations that combine talents and resources to promote and deliver library and information services for Malawi and the global community. Its institutional membership organization participates in the acquisition and delivery of relevant electronic resources. MALICO's mission is also to offer leadership in library co-operation, training and development, mechanisms for improved access to information, an and a capacity for members to respond to the information needs of the country. The consortium's objectives include encouraging national, regional, and international cooperation among information stakeholders in Malawi; influencing information policy in Malawi; promoting adequate ICT infrastructure for members, especially sufficient Internet bandwidth; assisting in the development of appropriate ICT skills at all levels; facilitating access to electronic journal articles in international databases; organizing and digitizing Malawian content; and providing information consultancy. MALICO bought four VSATs, which were mounted on three University of Malawi campuses and at the Mzuzu University in February 2005. This lays the basis for MALICO to support the planned National Education Research Network (NREN). MALICO contributes to subscription of e-resources by PERI and the electronic Information for Libraries (eIFL) and access e-resources from a host of institutions such as WHO, FAO, INASP, and CTA. They also assist with digitizing Malawi publications. For instance the College of Medicine has digitized over 300 publications, and University of Malawi has reportedly bought digitization equipment. This project also involves creating institutional repositories through post-graduate degree programmes. MALICO's Internet for Influence Program, which was initiated by the British Council, involves librarians training various groups on how to use computers and access the Internet. Training programmes include women members of parliament, young women leaders, lawyers, and journalists. Malawi Research and Education Network (MAREN) is another MALICO project that involves establishing high-speed Internet connectivity among tertiary education institutions. National research and education networks are national organizations in Africa and elsewhere-representing groups of tertiary education institutions. Their mandate includes, among other things, improving Internet connectivity for members. MAREN is also is one of the founding members of the UbuntuNet Alliance for Research and Education Networking. MAREN has two founder members: the University of Malawi and Mzuzu University. Two other institutions are in the process of joining: the National College of Information Technology (NACIT), a tertiary institution; and the Department of Agricultural Research, a research institution. Two new universities are likely to join within the year. · Organization(s): Malawi Library Information Consortium (MALICO) · Funding source: Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) and with supplementary funding from the Open Society Institute and the World Bank and the University of Malawi Dossani Trust · For more information: www.malico.mw |
Project: SchoolNet MalawiSchoolNet Malawi is a non-governmental, non-profit organization formed to provide and facilitate access to ICTs in Malawian schools. The ICT for schools concept is very new in Malawi and the initiating organization itself is still in the conception stage. The ICT development for schools concept was hatched after the SchoolNet Africa Cape Town Declaration (September 1999) represented by 10 African countries of which Malawi was one. This initiative was facilitated by the International Development Research Center (IDRC) and SchoolNet South Africa. SchoolNet Malawi sources second-hand PCs from various agencies, such as Computer Aid International, Computers for African Schools, and World Computer Exchange, and refurbishes and distributes them to Malawian schools based on detailed selection criteria. The organization also conducts training programmes for both the teachers and students after each successful distribution phase. To date six schools have their own Web sites supported by SchoolNet Malawi. As a partner of SchoolNet Africa, SchoolNet Malawi also participates in SchoolNet Africa programmes such as its Campaign for 1 Million PCs, and ThinkQuest Africa (now called Mtandao Afrika). The latter programme involves both the students and the teachers and provides them with advanced knowledge on how to create personal Web sites in the local language. This has become a sort of competition, with the winners enjoying a camping holiday in an African country. The participants are also given certificates of participation. In 2006, SchoolNet Malawi partnered with Malawi Open Source Society to lobby and advocate for the use of open source in schools. Together they hosted a workshop with the support of OSISA in early 2006.11 SchoolNet Malawi also employs volunteers on both the technical and training side. Volunteers assist with testing and maintaining computers, packing computers for distribution in schools, and training teachers and students. SchoolNet Malawi's partners include the British Council Malawi, Computers for Africa (CFAS), ComputerAid International, Old Mutual, Malawi Telecommunications Limited, Reserve Bank of Malawi, ComputerLand Limited, Microsoft South Africa, Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA), and SchoolNet Africa. To date SchoolNet Malawi has distributed more than 832 computers to 50 participating schools. · For more information: www.schoolnetmalawi.org |
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Project: University of MzuzuThe University of Mzuzu offers library and information science and ICT degree programmes. For more information: http://www.mzuni.ac.mw |
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+ National education and ICT policy (6 available subcategories; 6 have data, including 3 documents)
+ Equipment, connectivity and access (8 available subcategories; 7 have data, including 0 documents)
+ Teacher-training (12 available subcategories; 9 have data, including 0 documents)
+ Impact on educators and teaching (1 available subcategory; 0 have data, including 0 documents)
+ Impact of ICT on learners and learning (3 available subcategories; 0 have data, including 0 documents)
+ Institution management and ICT (10 available subcategories; 5 have data, including 0 documents)
+ Policy related to equity (1 available subcategory; 1 has data, including 0 documents)
+ Cultural and content sensitivity (1 available subcategory; 0 have data, including 0 documents)
+ Special education (1 available subcategory; 1 has data, including 0 documents)
- Auxiliary documents
No document is available.
Record updated on Tuesday December 22 2009 15:01:23 EST.
Record yet to be validated.
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