By Dr. Grace Mbewe, Education Policy Analyst
President Lazarus Chakwera’s launch of 34 “schools of excellence” in Lilongwe District is being celebrated as a step forward for education in Malawi. However, as an education policy expert, I see it as a missed opportunity to address the country’s real educational challenges. Instead of offering a comprehensive and inclusive solution, this project seems narrowly focused on serving political interests in the president’s home region.
Malawi’s education sector is facing a national crisis—shortages of qualified teachers, inadequate infrastructure, and unequal access to quality education across regions. Launching elite schools in one district does little to resolve these systemic issues. True transformation requires a strategic nationwide plan that prioritizes underserved rural communities and ensures equal access for all students, whether in the Central, Southern, or Northern regions.
Chakwera’s approach raises concerns about regional imbalance, a recurring theme under MCP leadership. Historically, the Central Region has often received preferential treatment, leaving the South and North feeling neglected. By centering this major project in Lilongwe, the government risks deepening these divisions at a time when unity and equitable development are critical for national progress.
Moreover, this project seems more symbolic than strategic. Unlike past leaders like Kamuzu Banda, who built schools as part of a larger national education strategy, or Bingu wa Mutharika, who invested in cross-regional infrastructure, Chakwera’s initiative lacks a clear plan for long-term sustainability. Who will teach in these schools? Will they have access to adequate learning materials and resources? Without answers to these questions, the schools may become costly white elephants rather than centers of excellence.
As Malawi approaches the 2025 elections, the stakes are high. The opposition, particularly the DPP, has an opportunity to advocate for a more inclusive vision of development that addresses the concerns of marginalized regions. Chakwera’s strategy of placing symbolic projects in politically favorable areas may help secure votes in the short term, but it will not solve the country’s education crisis.
What Malawi needs is bold, strategic leadership that recognizes the importance of balancing development across all regions. Without this, initiatives like the “schools of excellence” will remain what they are—regional projects masquerading as national progress. Malawians deserve better.
Dr. Grace Mbewe is an education policy expert with over 15 years of experience in educational development, policy analysis, and rural education reforms in Malawi.
