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This section provides a summary of what led to need for MESA, previous work from which MESA is building and MESA's goals and objectives. Background to MESA's Mission
The introduction of free primary education in conjunction with the impact of HIV/AIDS on the education sector has also resulted in a dire shortage of basic physical and human resources, especially of trained and capable teachers. Consequently, a rapid decline in the attainment of learning has occurred, and the quality and efficiency of Malawi's primary education has deteriorated to a critically low point. Fewer than half the children who enter primary school make it to Standard 6, and a recent analysis of reading attainment reveals that almost 80% of children in Standard 6 cannot comprehend grade-level texts at even minimal levels. The overall budget for primary education has increased dramatically from 17% to 27% of the national budget between 1994 and 2002, but expenditure has dropped from approximately $20 per child in 1994-95, to approximately $12 per child in 1999. In response to the challenges facing the education sector in Malawi, USAID has developed an education strategy that provides assistance to government and non-governmental organizations to improve the quality and efficiency of basic education. USAID's current education strategy covers the five-year period 2001 through 2005. The overall objective for the USAID/Malawi education strategy is to improve the quality and efficiency of basic education. The education strategic framework has four Intermediate Results (IRs).  MESA is supporting SO9: Improve the quality and efficiency of basic education and specifically addressing 3 of these IRs: Teachers' Professional Skills Improved; More Effective Schools; and Impact of HIV/AIDS Mitigated in the Education Sector USAID Supported Activities in Malawi Before MESA Over the past decade, USAID has supported several initiatives with the aim of improving quality and efficiency of education. MESA has been charged with integrating the lessons learned and best practices of the following interventions into its BEST (Building Effective Schools through Training) Activites. Quality Education Through Supporting Teaching (QUEST)Since 1999, the QUEST program has focused on the development of effective schools in the three target districts of Balaka, Blantyre Rural and Mangochi. The QUEST program has four key inter-related components:
The QUEST teacher-training program has focused on practical teaching skills that include:
The project's strategy for enhancing the quality and efficiency of education in the three districts also encompasses a strong capacity development program. The program supports teacher professional development and provides for the establishment of a support network for teachers. The support network is built using the supervisory training of Primary Education Advisors (PEAs) and the identification and training of mentor teachers. Mentor teachers work within a school cluster network to provide support to teachers on-site and through cluster training. Social Mobilization Campaign for Educational Quality (SMC-EQ)This project aims at promoting quality basic education by developing functional school committees that facilitate two way communication between the school and the community, mobilize communities to participate in school development activities and monitor teacher and pupil behavior as well as classroom performance. USAID has supported social mobilization activities to raise awareness and enhance local participation in education during the past decade. Lessons learned continue to confirm that it is not simply the schools where full participation and learning must take place. The role of the community is critical. Communities in all twenty-seven districts have been mobilized to surface issues regarding quality education such as accepting responsibility for educational attainment in their schools. SMC-EQ is being implemented by CRECCOM (a Malawian NGO) under a cooperative Agreement directly with the Mission. CRECCOM's Agreement expires in 2004. CRECCOM's approach to community mobilization, which began with the USAID GABLE Program in the early 1990's, continues to be highly visible and effective. Improving Education Quality (IEQ) IIUSAID also supported the Malawi Improving Education Quality (IEQ) II Project, which was a partnership between MIE and the American Institutes for Research (AIR) and ended in September 2003. The overall goal of this activity was to help the GOM promote quality primary education through targeted classroom research and learner assessments. Two districts-Mangochi and Balaka-were pilot sites for research on quality learning, teaching, availability of materials, and community participation. Research on pupil performance was conducted with the aim to establish a better understanding of the linkages between curriculum and learning. Learn more...MESA Objectives MESA will contribute to the quality and efficiency of basic education in Malawi by
These objectives will be achieved through a holistic MESA program that will blend the best practices and lessons learned from three successful Malawi projects: QUEST; SMC-EQ and IEQ. They will support teachers' enhancement, classroom research, and pupil assessment as well as community mobilization in four districts of Mzimba South, Kasungu, Machinga and Phalombe. Malawi Institute of Education will produce and supply to schools selected teaching/learning resources and "revamp" the social studies curriculum. The program will also support the construction of classrooms and offices at Domasi College of Education and the development of an Information Communication Technology classroom at Mzuzu University.  The key project outcomes will include
- creative/participatory methods of teaching - continuous assessment - effective teaching methods to promote equitable learning for both boys and girls - teaching/learning resources effectively. - achieving "effective" status - implementing as well as supporting strategies for HIV/AIDS mitigation at their schools, zones, and/or at the district level. - retained in schools - promoted to higher classes - achieving mastery in reading skills in English and in numeracy - passing standard 8. |
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Malawi's educational sector is in a crisis. The crisis has two primary causes. The first is the rapid and unchecked spread of HIV/AIDS that has caused the average life expectancy in Malawi to drop from 48 to 39 years since 1988. This means that greater effort is required to recruit and train teachers, and that student drop out and repeat rates are increasing. The second cause of the crisis is the unforeseen introduction of free primary education in 1994. While this was an enormously popular policy of the new government, it resulted in a massive increase in enrollment, as well as a further strain upon Malawi's under-resourced education system. More than 1.3 million additional children came to school following the declaration of Free Primary Education. Fortuitously, many donors came forward with programs and funds to support this strain on the primary education. Yet, even with donor assistance and government increase in budgetary allocation to primary education, the system struggles. There were not enough classrooms or teachers to effectively handle such an influx. Classes started being conducted under trees and it is still not uncommon for a class to have 100 students, especially in the lower grades. Teachers were called back from retirement and others were brought on board who were not qualified. High repetition rates, low completion rates and poor overall school quality illustrate the crisis.