Children with special educational needs continue to face barriers to inclusive learning in Malawi

Children with special educational needs (SEN) can face multiple barriers to participating fully in education, including limited learning resources, lack of assistive devices, inaccessible school infrastructure and inadequate access to inclusive information and support.

Evidence referenced in the study indicates that learning difficulties are among the most common forms of disability affecting children with special needs in Malawi. Among children with special needs aged 0–15, approximately 66.2 per cent experience learning difficulties, while 20.5 per cent have visual impairments and 13.3 per cent have hearing impairments.

The challenges extend beyond the classroom. Among people aged 5 and above experiencing disabilities, difficulties with sight, walking, hearing, intellectual functioning and speech represent important areas of need.

At school level, the study found substantial gaps in the availability of resources and accessibility of learning environments. In the 10 primary schools assessed, none of the sampled SEN learners reported having adequate learning materials or access to assistive devices.

Many sampled schools lacked essential resources for inclusive education

Percentage of sampled SEN learners reporting availability of key learning resources

Physical accessibility remains a challenge

Accessible infrastructure is an important component of inclusive education. Schools need appropriate ramps, pathways, toilets and classroom arrangements to enable children with different forms of disability to participate safely.

Among the sampled schools, infrastructure conditions varied considerably. While some schools had ramps, accessible toilets or smooth pathways, others lacked several of these features.

SEN enrolment remains limited in many sampled schools

The study also examined the number of learners with special educational needs enrolled across the sampled schools.

Among the 10 schools assessed, SEN enrolment ranged from 0 to 7 learners per school. Several schools reported no enrolled SEN learners, while others reported between one and seven learners.