Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has warned that teachers without professional licences risk restrictions on transfers, leave, appointments, promotions, examination duties and retirement benefits.
The warning comes amid concerns over low compliance with registration and licensing requirements under the Teachers Council of Malawi (TCM), the statutory body established to regulate the teaching profession.
in the civil service
In a letter to district commissioners (DCs), Secretary for Education Ken Ndala said that while 76 percent of primary school teachers and 72 percent of secondary school teachers are registered, only 29 percent and 28 percent, respectively, are licensed.
According to the latest Malawi Education Statistics Report, the country had 76 846 primary school teachers and 17 705 secondary school teachers in 2025. This means about 22 285 primary school teachers and 4 957 secondary school teachers were licensed.
Ndala said the figures require urgent action, adding that government already introduced measures to ensure licensing is considered in recruitment and promotion.
He said: “At central level we have already acted on this issue by ensuring that Local Government Service Commission and Teaching Service Commission don’t recruit and promote primary school teachers and secondary school teachers respectively without proof of a licence.
“Furthermore, no teacher can be allowed to process his/her retirement benefits without proof of a license.”
Secondary School Teachers Union president Pilirani Kapolo said many teachers paid the required fees months, but were still waiting for their registration certificates and licences.
“Linking benefits to a relatively new administrative requirement, particularly where the responsible systems have themselves experienced significant implementation challenges, would be punitive and could potentially create legal and industrial relations challenges,” he said.
Teachers Union of Malawi president Willy Malimba said three quarters of their membership paid, but many have yet to receive licences.
