The document discusses the potential for online learning in Malawi's public school system in light of school closures due to COVID-19. It notes that while online education has benefits, implementing it widely in Malawi would face significant challenges due to the country's technological gaps and issues in its education system including poor infrastructure, funding shortages, and lack of resources. For most learners in Malawi's underfunded public schools, cost and lack of access to technology would limit their ability to engage in online education. The government has struggled to improve the education system, raising doubts about its ability to effectively provide online learning accessible to all public school students.

1. The future of Online Learning in Malawi’s Public School System
Lawrence Mphatso Chingámba
11th July, 2020
The right to education as a human right has taken a U-turn with the emergence of the Corona
virus pandemic. Prolonged lockdowns and implementation of new restrictions in countries all
around the world has led policy makers to instrument restrictions into the curriculum systems
which led to isolation of learners from learning institutions. In safeguarding the importance of
education to National Development, public policy makers in partnership with different
stakeholders earmarked alternative methods and strategies to maintain continuity of the learning
process through rolling out of online learning systems to maintain learning while schools are
closed. The approach to online education in the 21st century has vastly benefited global economy
by offering distance learning that require less classroom interaction unlike the traditional
method. As an alternative learning method after the impact of the virus, online education faces
scrutiny on its workability in Malawi considering the technological gap that exists. The article
seeks to make an analysis of how the education system will be affected by evaluating some of
the prevailing impediments that would affect the applicability of the method to education system
in Malawi.
The history of Malawi over the past decade outlines a struggling education system faced with
poor infrastructure, funding and human resources. Failure by government to set aside well-
established tools for monitoring of different activities in the education sector has paralyzed
normal implementation of policies that are at par with new global innovations. Efforts to
improve the implementation of quality programs in the sector through public reforms, structural
adjustment and donor policy support have faced obstacles due to lack of political will and
mismanagement funds which contributed to poor service delivery. Awarding of contracts to
institutions and companies without merit has created incompetency in provision of services
especially infrastructural development. The existence of undesirable conditions for teachers has
also created an anomaly in the way they conduct there duties which in turn affect the delivery of
quality services to learners. Budgetary support and management of financial accounts in the
sector faces criticism due to lack of regulations to govern the distribution of resources to areas

2. that are highly affected. Regardless hurdles that the sector has faced overtime, efforts to improve
the sector through the support of non-governmental entities through policy and funding has
enhanced the conditions in the sector. Through provision of monetary and programme support
for institutions for example Mary Meals, UNDP and NICE provides a brighter future for a
productive sector in service delivery.
The trend of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) development in countries like
Rwanda, South Africa and Kenya entails a future with innovative population empowered with
modern skills that contextually assist their economies progress in the new global economy. The
same proliferation of ICT development in Malawi eased the access of information and was
beneficial to development of different public sectors. The interconnections of international
education stakeholders to local ones, created an environment where Malawians are able to
acquire high standard qualifications through distance learning which add value to the
development of the country. The system of education in Malawi however lugs behind in terms of
Information and Communications Technology due to cost of accessibility, knowledge gap and
economic inequalities. Malawi, being one of the poorest countries in the world, faces a dilemma

3. where the highest population of learners is in the public school system and great percentage of
them is underprivileged to access basic services. Analyzing the scenario, research shows that
cost of access to ICT development limits the ability of learners in the public school system to use
the most basic technological advancements.
Photo credit: VSO, Unlocking Talent Project in Malawi
The predicament of poor access to ICT development in Malawi creates a situation where online
education will benefit a few learners who have an opportunity to access IT based learning
materials and services. Proven failure by the government to create good learning conditions for
public school system learners in terms of infrastructure and human resource utilization and
satisfaction, presents skeptism from a cross sectional of stakeholders of the ability of the Malawi
government in provision of effective and efficient online learning which will be widely
accessible to the public school system.