Malawi’s Education Budget Fails to Meet 20% Dakar Target, CSEC Raises Alarm
The Civil Society Education Coalition (CSEC) has expressed deep concern over Malawi’s persistent failure to allocate at least 20% of the national budget to education, as per the Dakar Framework for Action. This chronic underfunding, CSEC warns, is crippling all education sub-sectors and hindering the country’s ability to provide quality education.
Speaking at an engagement meeting with Members of Parliament in Lilongwe, CSEC Board Chairperson Dr. Limbani Nsapato urged legislators to push for an increase in the education budget, aligning it with international commitments.
“The education sector continues to receive far below the recommended 20%, leaving critical programs severely underfunded,” said Nsapato. “Some sub-sectors are operating on budgets that are 50% or less of what is required, making it nearly impossible to achieve national education targets.”
In the proposed 2025/2026 national budget, the government has allocated MK1.2 trillion to education—just 16% of the total budget, falling short of the Dakar target by MK500 billion.
Call for Alternative Funding Sources
To bridge this funding gap, CSEC has proposed several domestic resource mobilization strategies, including:
- Introducing an education levy
- Tapping into diaspora contributions
- Eliminating unnecessary tax waivers for national and multinational corporations that currently drain public revenue.
“These tax breaks reduce funds that should be invested in key areas such as special needs education, education technology, vocational training, and early childhood development,” Nsapato emphasized.
Parliamentarians Pledge Action
Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Education, Brainax Kaisi, assured stakeholders that MPs will lobby the Ministries of Education and Finance, as well as development partners, to increase funding for the sector.
However, Kaisi also raised concerns about how allocated funds are being used.
“We want maximum utilization of resources for their intended purpose. Even with limited funding, efficiency and accountability are crucial,” he said.
The engagement meeting, attended by civil society organizations and government representatives, was jointly organized by Oxfam Malawi, Sight Savers, ActionAid Malawi, Plan Malawi, GAYO, FAWENA, and other CSEC partners.
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