Project 2

Project

In the Republic of Malawi, located in sub-Saharan Africa, we are implementing the JICA Kusanone (Grassroots) Technical Cooperation Project, “Strengthening Community-Based Management of Pre-primary Education Facilities and the Pre-primary Education System in Rural Malawi” (September 2026 – August 2029).
This project follows the previous JICA Grassroots Technical Cooperation Project, “Improving Access to and Quality of Pre-primary Education in Rural Malawi,” which was implemented from March 2023 to February 2026 (see Project 1).

Background

In Malawi, approximately half of the population is under 18, making the improvement of educational quality a critical issue for developing the human resources needed for the country’s future. However, access to pre-primary education remains limited, and many children enter primary school without any pre-primary education experience. This situation is associated with high repetition and dropout rates, as well as low learning achievement.

In Nkhata Bay District, the target area of the project, Community-Based Child Care Centres (CBCCs) provide pre-primary education. Nevertheless, approximately 40% of children enter primary school without having attended pre-primary education. Other challenges include insufficient training for caregivers, limited capacity for facility management, and difficulties in effectively using teaching and learning materials and the curriculum.

The previous phase, implemented from March 2023 to February 2026, achieved progress in developing teaching and learning materials for caregivers, providing training, strengthening the government monitoring system, and raising community awareness. Building on these achievements and remaining challenges, the current project aims to improve the quality and sustainability of pre-primary education by expanding the number of target facilities, strengthening community-based management, developing mentors, revising teaching and learning materials, and enhancing monitoring functions.

Aim

To improve the management of pre-primary education facilities through collaboration with local communities and strengthen the pre-primary education system in the target area.

Target

  • Staff members from the District Social Welfare Office
  • Staff members from the District Education Office
  • Child Protection Workers
  • Caregivers from 20 CBCCs
  • Community members
  • Teachers from 30 primary schools
  • 1,000 children attend 20 CBCCs
  • 2,000 pupils attending 30 primary schools

Activity

  1. Develop a Pre-primary Education Facility Management Support Book to help community members and Child Protection Workers acquire relevant knowledge and apply it to the management of CBCCs.
  2. Develop a Mentor Support Book to help caregivers and primary school teachers acquire relevant knowledge and develop selected participants as mentors.
  3. Revise the Caregiver Support Book and provide opportunities for caregivers and primary school teachers to acquire relevant knowledge and skills.
  4. Conduct regular monitoring to identify and address challenges related to the management of CBCCs.

Activity report

(TBA)

Reference

(TBA)

Others