Ministry of Education and Human Resources

Critical Capacity Development Challenges in Malawi:

The Case of the Education Sector

 INTRODUCTION

Conceptual Overview

For purposes of this input, capacity is operationally defined as “the ability to effectively and efficiently perform tasks”. Within this operational definition, key tasks of the Ministry of Education,  are (a) to effectively and efficiently deliver education services to Malawians within parameters set by the national development policy framework and the specific sector policy framework and (b) to enable other stakeholders to contribute to the effective and efficient delivery of the education services. Such other stakeholders include parents and communities, other Ministries and public sector institutions, national and international experts in the field of education, NGOs, the private sector and international development agencies. The Ministry therefore  has a dual role to deliver education as well as to create an enabling environment for other players to co-deliver education. 

Until the last one and half decades, capacity development was narrowly conceptualized as human resources development in terms of the development of knowledge skills and affects relevant for the effective and efficient performance of tasks.  Because knowledge and skills are mainly (though not exclusively) acquired through formal education and training, capacity development was almost equated to the education and training of personnel. The ‘human resources development’ view of capacity development has been elaborated on partially because of the realization that even when human resources have the requisite knowledge, skills and affects, the organizational, institutional, national and international environments within which they perform their tasks may render them ineffective and inefficient[1]. Current capacity development strategies therefore tend to include human resources development as well as the building of strong and capable organizations, institutions and nations. Beyond these elements, broader conceptualizations of capacity development include appropriate processes, practices and principles[2].  Processes that are appropriate for capacity development are systematic, systemic, continuous, enduring, sustainable etc. Effective capacity development practices are characterized by good governance and institutional economics methodologies. Under governance commitment, stakeholder representation, indigenous ownership, participatory techniques are central. Relevant institutional economics methodologies accord priority to incentives and reward systems as well as the  demand and supply of goods and services. Espoused principles include effectiveness and efficiency. 

Though restrictive and narrow, the human resources development view of capacity development was intuitive in the sense that people are the one element of capacity development that has the most regenerative and creative capacity. Human beings reproduce in physical, cognitive, psychomotor, psychosocial, and affective terms. Further, human beings create the organizations, institutions and nations within which they operate[3].  Capable human resources can construct and/or deconstruct the organizational, institutional, national and international environments within which they operate. 

Equating capacity development to education and training was also intuitive in the sense that formal education and training remain the key mechanisms through which modern societies transform human beings into the human capital. In turn, the nature of organizational, institutional, national and international environments that people create is influenced by the education and training (in a broad sense) that those people have had. Weak education and training systems have been identified as a key cause of Africa’s capacity limitations. Actually, education/ training and capacity development are mutually reinforcing and sustaining in that “on the one hand, poor capacity to design and deliver quality education and training results in poor education and training institutions; on the other, poor education and training institutions produce poor graduates, whose knowledge and skills are inadequate for further training,  for the world of work”[4] and for effectively redressing existing capacity challenges.  

In summary, human resources lie at the heart of capacity development. In turn  education and training lie at the heart of the social, technical, cognitive, affective creation of human resources. The question is whether Malawi has an education and training system that is capable of laying a foundation for effective national capacity development? 

 EDUCATION SECTOR CAPACITY CHALLENGES[5] 

The assessment[6] of Malawi education sector’s key capacity limitations is informed by the more elaborate conceptualizations of capacity development sketched above. Capacity challenges are therefore identified at the level of human resources and the organizational, institutional, national and international environments within which they endeavor to deliver education services to Malawians as well are to enable other contributors to education service delivery.  

The GoM recognizes the value of education as a foundation and cornerstone for capacity development[7]. The government equally recognizes that weaknesses of the current education system renders it a weak foundation to build on[8]. Key capacity challenges are outlined  below; 

Human Resources 

As noted in the introduction, weak education and training systems produce weak graduates who in turn cannot effectively redress national capacity limitations. Malawi has a very weak education and training system. Key sector challenges are fairly generic to Africa’s education development challenges: nominal access, inequitable access in disfavor of girls, rural dwellers and disabled,  poor quality and the consequent internal inefficiencies,, doubtful relevance of the teaching programs to the country’s development challenges, inadequate and unsustainable funding, inadequate delivery capacity especially in terms of education administration and management, policy implementation, and the monitoring and evaluation of policy implementation.   

At the primary level, the combined effect of poor quality and nominal access leads to high dropout rates (17%) with most of the learners (50%) dropping out before they can reach fifth grade and most probably, before they can attain sustainable literacy. Primary completion rate is unacceptable low. Only 30% of learners who enter first grade complete the primary cycle (8^th grade). Progression to secondary education stands at 18% and is among the lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa. Equally, only 0.3% of learners of eligible age gain entry to University. With a population of nearly 11 million, Malawi’s universities collectively enroll about 4000 students. 

The net effect of the above-outlined weakness in the education system is a shortage of qualified professionals across virtually all sectors of the economy including the education sector itself. The delivery of education services suffers the acute human resources inadequacies (in both numeric and qualitative terms). 

Shortages of qualified staff are typical at virtually all levels of the system including the Ministry headquarters, regional offices, teacher training colleges, education institutes, and schools. Skill areas that are most adversely affected include: effective teaching at all levels of the system, sector analysis, policy formulations and articulation, planning for policy implementation, education systems monitoring and evaluation, student testing and evaluation, EMIS, school mapping, financial management, personnel management, overall professional leadership, and the applied research skills required for the effective monitoring and assessing the impact of ongoing quality inputs. 

Over-utilization of existing capacities: Because of the staff shortages outlined above, the few qualified staff are over-extended to the point of being ineffective. Examples are clear within the Planning Directorate and the education advisory services.   

Inappropriate use of existing capacities: Although a systematic assessment is not yet done, informal assessment suggest that for a substantial proportion of staff across the sector, task allocations are not always appropriately matched to people’s knowledge,  skills and experiences. Examples include the Ministry headquarters staff where good teachers are promoted to managerial levels but without the training required to make an appropriate transition. Primary teacher training institutions are still staffed by secondary school teachers who do not have the training nor the experience required to teach at that level. 

Low retention of rare skills  is also a problem that derives mainly from poor incentive systems.  With respect to incentive systems, it is difficult to retain highly qualified staff especially accountants and financial analysts, planners,  computer specialists, EMIS specialists, statisticians in the Ministry at government salaries. Staff retention rates are further lowered by the impact of HIV/AIDS. In 1999, teacher attrition rate was 11%. 

Low motivation and commitment: Low incentive systems also tend to lower the commitment , and morale of staff at Ministry headquarters and elsewhere (especially for teachers). Staff motivation to perform their tasks effectively and efficiently is particularly adversely affected by poor salaries. Although based on cursory evidence, opportunities to augment salaries through travel-related allowances tend to distract senior staff (with authority to distribute travel opportunities) from their core functions. 

Organizational Capacities 

Clear role definition: One of the key causes of ineffectiveness in service delivery is the apparent inability to shed off non-core functions which Ministry staff are not trained to perform nor to oversee. An example is the construction of school infrastructure. Though a critical function, experience with IDA-assisted interventions suggests that the Ministry does not have the capacity to effectively carry out this function. The choice at this point is for the Ministry to either transfer this function to other government agencies or to retool itself for effective performance. 

Recruitment, deployment, retention of staff: Because of mainly poor incentive systems, the Ministry’s has very low capacity to recruit, deploy and retain well qualified staff, especially in scarce skills and for remote areas, especially women. In turn, this limitation has adverse effects on service delivery. 

Mobilization and utilization of non-human resources: As noted under the section on ‘international environments’ the Ministry seems not to have serious limitations in mobilizing funds for the education sector. A serious capacity limitation however lies with the effective and timely utilization of those funds. Virtually all externally assisted interventions over-extend their allocated duration. Once completed, the impact of the interventions is often less than desirable. Further, cumulative experience with poor implementation record seems not to have been instructive. Thus, the utilization of resources remains ineffective. Strategic resource management is clearly not one of the strengths of the Ministry and its subsidiaries.

Institutional Capacities Challenges 

Sector analysis and policy development: Substantial progress has been made toward the articulation of the overall education sector policy and the language policy. However, capacity limitations (owing to shortage of human resources) are still a significant impediment for the development of specific sub-sector policies. Institutional capacities are still limited by the shortage of human resources with effective skills in sector analysis, policy formulation, development and articulation.   

Articulation of supporting legal frameworks: This limitation is linked to the above as policies often require a supporting legal framework for their implementation.  

Culture, norms, values: Linked to the low concern for task performance outlined above, the Ministry seems to have unintentionally developed a culture of non-performance. The fact that incentives and rewards are not linked to performance further endorses a culture that is essentially detrimental to service delivery. 

Good governance:  The Ministry seems not to have adequate capacity to develop and articulate effective norms, rules and regulations, procedures, code of ethics, and even principles that can ensure transparency and accountability in the sector. On several occasions, the Ministry and related institutions have come under the spotlight for weaknesses in governance. This situation may be indicative of lack of clear and tight norms and procedures, regulations, and statues that guide institutional behavior. Where appropriate tools exist, it may be indicative of  weak to no enforcement. Whatever the cause may be, this is an areas of serious challenge for the Ministry and related institutions. 

National environment 

Structural poverty: Although Malawi invests high proportions of its GDP (though this has been on the decline), on education, real investment is very low relative to the needs of the sector. In addition, the per-capita investment in education is very low relative to even Sub-Saharan Africa averages. Low investment translates into inadequate human and non-human resources which both limit delivery capacity. 

Dissonance between national and sector budget system: Partially owing to national financial constraints, the Ministry of Finance introduced a cash budget system as one of the ways to improve fiscal discipline. While understandable, cash budgeting makes medium to long term planning very difficult for the Ministry (which tries to follow activity based budgeting). Over and above skill inadequacies and personnel shortages, policy implementation capacity is hampered by uncertainties in the flow of funds. 

Weak learner quality at entry: An often ignored but critical impediment to the Ministry of Education’s delivery capacity is weaknesses in the readiness of learners when they enter schooling. No matter how effective the Ministry headquarters’ staff and other Ministry employees (teachers, curriculum developers, examiners etc) could be, precious little can be accomplished if learners are not ready to learn. Malawi’s high prevalence of poverty, malnutrition, stunting combined with the effects of HIV/AIDs for orphan children and for children whose relatives are affected, parent’s low educational attainments (especially women)and low opportunities for early childhood education all combine to work against the Ministry’s capacity to effectively facilitate learning. 

International Environment:  

Hitherto, Malawi seems to have a fairly favorable international environment. There also seems to be high consonance between national policy directions and international policy directions that Malawi has been signatory to (UN Article 28 on the rights of the child), declarations (Education For All (EFA), Jomtein, Amaan, Ouagadougo, Copenhagan, Dakar, ; FAWE, SADC, COMEDAF, etc). Consonance of minds notwithstanding, the international push for EFA and the consequent declaration of the Free Primary Education (FPE) policy  have seriously stretched the capacity of the Ministry of Education and its structures. A lot of the shortages in human and non-human resources outlined above derived from the FPE albeit progressive as it may have been. 

Malawi’s education sector also enjoys high financial support from international development agencies. In 1999, credits and grants accounted for nearly 90% of the education sector’s recurrent expenditure. Positive as this support may be, its ‘not-so-hidden cost’ lies in its over-extension of the already weak Ministry human capacity. The demands on the time of Ministry officials by international partners is a very serious constraint on the time of senior staff who have to engage in dialogue with representatives of agencies.           

In conclusion, a systematic sector specific capacity assessment is still required to accurately ascertain critical impediments to the effective delivery of education services. This effort should soon commence with the support of a PHRD Grant. A follow-up capacity development strategy should be informed by findings of the capacity assessment exercise.