Education

When Peter was born in the town of Mzimba in northern Malawi eight years ago he was that precious little gem to his parents.

Joyce Buleya* was only 14-years-old when she fell pregnant in the midst of her Standard 8 class year. Confused and conflicted, her dream of becoming a nurse suddenly dimmed before her as her options dwindled.

In Malawi, a vast majority of pregnant school-going teenagers drop out of school due to a number of adverse factors, although the government policy is to readmit them back into the fold as soon as they deliver.

Now more than ever the Universal Human Right to Education is in danger. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the education of more than one billion children across the world and has aggravated the existing global education financing crisis. This has upended the education sector and greatly threatened the progress of the entire Sustainable Development Agenda and specifically Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4).

In a small homestead in Jali, in the deepest parts of rural Zomba District in southern Malawi, Emily Leston conducts an afternoon class with four pupils, taking them through their paces.

9-year-old Emilida was all smiles after receiving a Math textbook from her teacher at Mphande Primary School in Mphande Education zone, Mwanza District. Her face shone brightly with joy even when chatting with her fellow grade 3 friends under a tree during break time.