Commencement of Pre-primary Education Project in Malawi

“Improving Access and Quality of Pre-primary Education in Rural Malawi Project” was launched in collaboration with Prof. Taniguchi’s lab and JICA.

This project focuses on improving pre-school education in Malawi. The project manager, Prof. Taniguchi, has extensive experience in education development in Malawi, having been involved in both research and practice for many years.

Malawi has achieved a primary net enrolment rate of up to 88%. However, the national average repetition rate is 25% for all grades and 34% for Grade 1, with the latter having the highest rate. (Ministry of Education, Malawi 2022) This is attributed to a lack of preparation at the pre-primary school stage and a lack of schooling at the appropriate age.

The project aims to address these challenges by improving access to pre-primary education with quality improvement. The project involves not only working with pre-primary education caregivers but also with district officers responsible for monitoring and caregiver training, early-grade primary school teachers, and local people. In addition to the project manager, an education specialist, experts in hygiene and nutrition are also part of the team.

This project is implemented as a JICA Partnership Program.

Target Country and Area: Nkhata Bay District, Malawi
Project Duration: from March 2023 to February 2026
Project Objective: To improve access to pre-primary education in the target area through grappling with quality improvement with Nkhata Bay District Social Welfare and Education Offices