Two weeks after his inauguration as the country’s seventh Head of State, President Peter Mutharika yesterday announced that secondary education in public schools will be free from January 2026.
While the then governing United Democratic Front introduced Free Primary Education in 1994, secondary education still required parents and guardians to pay fees.
Mutharika’s announcement, made at Chonde in Mulanje during the Mulhako wa Alhomwe Cultural Festival, is a fulfilment of his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) campaign promises in the September 16 2025 General Election.
He said the decision seeks to promote equal access to education and empower young Malawians regardless of their economic background.
“From January, both primary and secondary schools will be for free. But I don’t want to see learners absent from school, I will deal with you,” said the President to loud cheers from thousands who attended the annual cultural event.
Mutharika, who is Mulhako wa Alhomwe patron, urged parents and guardians to ensure that no child is left behind in as far access to secondary education is concerned.
During the launch of the DPP manifesto in Blantyre on August 3, the manifesto’s committee chairperson Collins Magalasi said the DPP administration will introduce free secondary education and abolish any fees attached to primary education, including Malawi National Examinations Board fees for all national examinations.
DPP also promised provision of free food to all public university students within the college cafeteria effective last quarter of 2025.
In his address yesterday, Mutharika also urged Malawians to take education seriously, saying it is the key to the country’s development.
“I don’t want excuses from you parents. I want discipline in this country. Without discipline and education this country cannot develop,” he said.
Earlier in his speech, Mutharika addressed concerns about maize shortages and accused some individuals of hoarding the staple grain to create a false impression of scarcity.
“Some were hiding maize to paint a gloomy picture that there is no maize in the country, and now they are questioning our decision to buy maize from Zambia,” he said.
The President then assured the nation that his government had finalised arrangements for maize imports from Zambia, which would possibly begin arriving next week, and urged citizens to “be patriotic and stop playing politics with food.”
Commenting on the free secondary education effective January, education rights activist Benedicto Kondowe commended Mutharika for fulfilling one of his campaign promises but noted that to successfully implement it, government needs to continue working together with its partners.
“As we do this, it will be important that education stakeholders remain engaged because government cannot achieve free secondary education on its own. They need support from stakeholders,” he said.
Free primary education has been in place since 1994, but this will be the first time secondary school education becomes free for all learners across the country.
The Mulhako wa Alhomwe festival, which celebrates the cultural heritage of the Lhomwe people, drew thousands of Malawians, including chiefs, government officials, and local residents.
Notable faces at yesterday’s event included Vice-President Jane Ansah, Second Vice-President-designate Enock Chihana, all four DPP vice-presidents and some of the recently-hired Cabinet ministers.
