The Equity with Quality and Learning at Secondary (EQUALS) Project is a Government of Malawi Project, which is being implemented with support from the Word Bank through a credit facility of US$90 million. The Project was approved in March 2019 and its development objective is to improve the quality of Science and Mathematics instruction in Community Day Secondary Schools (CDSSs) and increase access to Secondary education in selected remote areas in Malawi. Aside from the Project development objectives, the Project PDO Level Indicators include;
I. Percent of CDSS meeting selected minimum standards for quality science and mathematics instruction
ii. Primary to secondary transition rate in remote schools from 13 selected districts
iii. Learning achievement in standardized assessment in science and mathematics
The EQUALS Project initiative came about after the Ministry of Education (MoE) instituted a general education sector review assessing the major challenges in Secondary Education in Malawi specific to the instruction of Science and Mathematics in CDSSs. The review established challenges affecting the delivery of education services in Malawi that eventually lead to low performance of pupils in Science and Mathematics, especially in CDSSs. MoE attributed this to several key factors;
1. Disparities and low net enrolment rates
2. Low learner transition rate from primary to secondary
3. Poor and inadequate infrastructure
4. Inconsistent teacher management and deployment
5. Inappropriate pre-requisite subject teacher specialization especially in CDSSs
Project components
1. Improving the quality of science and mathematics instruction
In this component, the project seeks to deliver minimum standards for effective instruction of sciences and mathematics subjects to all CDSSs through the following subcomponents;
1.1: Ensuring minimum standards of quality instruction of mathematics and science in CDSSs through; In-service teacher orientation to the revised sciences and mathematics curriculum, Provision of teaching and learning materials and equipment in CDSSs and Training in management and instructional leadership
1.2: Enhancing student learning in selected thirteen districts through Teacher Support Programme for Science and Mathematics and piloting summative continuous assessment in two selected subjects
2. Enhancing equitable access to secondary education
This component supports the government to institute a sustainable 10-year secondary education expansion plan grounded on equity and efficiency-enhancing policy reforms; the revival of school health and hygiene promotion along with school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV) mitigation measures; and optimal use of existing school spaces in the selected 13 remote districts. This is in line with the Government’s strategy of increasing access to, and equity in secondary education.
The following are the sub-components
2.1: System strengthening for equity and efficiency which is operationalized by implementing two key activities i.e. Policy and regulatory reforms targeting the expansion of secondary education; and the development and implementation of a Secondary Teacher Development and Management Strategy (STDMS).
2.2: Increasing equitable opportunities for secondary education through reforming the student selection and placement process by facilitating policy formulation and the establishment of an automated system for placement and mobility within secondary schools to increase efficiency in student selection and transfers in secondary schools, improving targeting system for bursaries and operationalize scholarship scheme to have an effective and efficient bursary beneficiary identification management system in place, which allows for beneficiary tracking; and to provide scholarships to brilliant but needy students from remote primary schools to attend national boarding and grant aided secondary schools and implementing School Related Gender Based Violence (GBV) and Adolescent Health and Hygiene Promotion Programs to improve equitable access to quality education by reducing school-related GBV and introducing an adolescent school health program.
2.3 Upgrading at least 80 CDSSs/ District Day by working to elevate at least 80 CDSS selected from the selected 13 remote districts to absorb capacity and learning environments like district day public schools and expanding at least 20 district day schools.
Component 3. Project Coordination, Learning, Monitoring and Evaluation
Key intervention areas in this respect include capacity enhancement for implementation support and strengthening data and information systems data collection, reporting, process monitoring and utilization processes at various end-user points for effective policy dialogue.
Cross-cutting results under Component 3
Gender and Inclusion through the adolescent school health, hygiene and GBV mitigation program. This will generate secondary education graduates from low-income/remote households with transferrable knowledge and skills on good health and hygiene practices and how to mitigate gender-based violence, gender-friendly sanitation facilities at school to enhance attendance and completion of secondary education, monitoring girls’ performance improvements in math and sciences at the MSCE as well as new enrollments for girls and adolescent mothers returning to school and provision of an assorted materials kit for students with hearing and sight impairments added to support specialized training on the curriculum for teachers of students with different learning impairments in addition to comprehensive assessments of students with disabilities.
The EQUALS Project is laying the foundation for the adoption of technology at various levels for nationwide adoption including the use of digitized interactive math and science learning material in 247 schools with potential for scalability in all other schools should the system capacity allow; and access to low-cost secondary education through ODL with digitized curriculum content.
It is also giving school and classroom level construction and equipping of at least 100 ICT laboratories to facilitate the transfer of new pedagogical technologies to in-service math and science teachers by the five teacher training institutions.
