Education projects at donors’ mercy

Implementation of the education budget between financial years 2019/20 and 2024/25 has exposed growing dependency on donors for infrastructure development in the sector while government overspends on wages. Education experts have since expressed concern that with the government’s new policy of ensuring free primary and secondary education which will lead to increased enrolment and demand for more infrastructure, the country needs to find innovative ways of finding resources. The withdrawal of support by development partners such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAid), which has put at risk about $140 million (about K245.14 billion) assistance to Malawi’s education sector until 2029 has worsened the situation.

The analysis, contained in the Mid-Term Review of the National Education Sector Investment Plan (Nesip) covering the years from 2020 to 2025, shows that from the K289.07 billion budgeted for wages, government ended up spending K343.65 billion, representing an extra 20 percent. Nesip runs up to 2030. However, on projects, government spent just K44.69 billion, a 44 percent underspending from the approved K80.6 billion while development partners spent K436.38 billion, which is 31 percent more than the planned K332.24 billion.

The Nesip report argues that the comparison reveals that personal emoluments (PE) consistently recorded the highest alignment between approved budgets and actual spending, reflecting the predictable nature of salary and wage expenditures. During the same period, Capital Hill spent K171.44 on operations or two percent less than the budgeted K173.86 billion; councils spent K89.7 billion or three percent more than the budgeted K87.22 billion. Reads the report: “Expenditures under ORT [other recurrent transactions] fluctuated due to irregular funding releases, procurement delays and operational inefficiencies.

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In some years, partial execution was recorded as non- salary recurrent budgets were often trimmed to accommodate wage pressures.” Projects affected by withdrawal of USAid support include Next Generation Early Grade Reading Activity ($74.9 million), Kumaliza Maphunziro ($12 million), Strengthening Teacher Education and Practice) at $15 million, Transforming Higher Education System ($17 million) and Higher Education for Youth Prosperity through Agriculture ($22 million). In an interview yesterday, Civil Society Education Coalition executive director Benedicto Kondowe said the development confirms weak domestic fiscal prioritisation for long-term system development and an education sector that is fiscally fragile and externally dependent. Educationist Foster Lungu from Mzuzu University said many activities have been stopped or outright being dropped because funding could not come from donors.

Catholic University of Malawi head of the Education Department Alipo Kaphwiyo called for strategies that empower public schools to become self-sustainable, strengthening community engagement through resource mobilisation and public-private partnerships. Ministry of Education, Science and Technology officials did not respond to our queries by press time at 9pm yesterday. However, during pre-budget consultations in Lilongwe, Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Decentralisation Joseph Mwanamvekha acknowledged the funding pressures, but said blanket subsidies in education and health are limiting the government’s ability to expand social spending.

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