EDUCATION
We believe that our relationship with Malawi provides our students with an interest that could enrich the rest of their lives while at the same time, providing our partner schools with useful connections and access to essential materials.
Education in Malawi
Primary education is free but not compulsory. Children attending primary school are generally between the ages of six and 14 with many girls having to leave early due to teenage pregnancies.
Secondary education developed late in Malawi, primarily as a result of insufficient focus during the colonial era. There are only 1,411 secondary schools compared with 6,065 primary schools and these are all fee-paying. As a result, only a quarter of Malawi's youth attend secondary school and the labour market is desperately under-skilled.
We have strong relationships with village primary schools in Mangochi (Bolera Palms and Thom's Colourful Classrooms) and Kuti Village as well as with Malawi Children's Village and Steka secondary schools and the British Council's Connecting Classrooms Cluster. We are also very committed to our work with Tina Pads to help girls stay at school for longer with washable sanitary pads. For more information, scroll below.
Delivering PPE direct to the school door
Aaron and Paul describe sourcing, delivering and providing training on essential PPE for our three partner schools in Mangochi.
Keeping girls in school
Challenging the taboo on menstruation to keep more girls at school for longer. Pupils from GWC led workshops on menstruation and the use of cloth period products at MCV in October 2019. These were produced by Trinitas Mhango from Tina Pads and the Days for Girls group.
Primary school support
Two of our partners have set up primary schools to educate the children in Mangochi: Thom and his Colourful Classroom and Rita and Bolera Palm School. They have very few resources, so we provide them with discontinued reading schemes, teacher training support and most recently, PPE against the Covid-19 virus. Next year, we hope to be able to extend our support to include schools next to Kuti Wildlife Reserve in Salima.
Group learning
Extending secondary school education across Blantyre with Malawian Children's Village school. Workshops involving texts such as Shakespeare took place along with poetry. Pupils from both countries were also given the opportunity to engage in dialogue on a range of issues relating to the Sustainable Development Goals such as climate action and gender inequality.
British Council Connecting Classrooms Cluster
We are working with schools across Edinburgh on the British Council's Connecting Classrooms initiative to help pupils understand the big issues that shape our world and equip them with the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to make a positive contribution. This focuses on learning around the Sustainable Development Goals. Our partner schools include Bruntsfield Primary and Bolera Palms, Tynecastle High School and MCV, and GWC and St Andrews International School.
Gap year experience
Heidi Floydd spent three months in Blantyre with St Andrews International Secondary school. Click here for more >>
