Government’s delay to pay adult literacy instructors their outstanding honoraria, estimated at K3.9 billion, coupled with low monthly payments, is forcing them out of the programme, The Nation has established.
Random interviews with some instructors in Blantyre, Thyolo and Mulanje districts found that some had quit over unpaid honoraria and low pay while others had reduced the frequency of lessons. Yet, some centres are operating without instructors.
Sixty-year-old Rhodney Ntwawa, who supervises eight adult literacy centres in Soche, Blantyre, said delayed payments and arrears have discouraged instructors, making the job unattractive.
Alex Mwandama, who taught at Chigwaja Adult Literacy Centre in Chilomoni, said he abandoned the work after waiting years for payment.
“I joined in 2015, but I have never received money since that time. Tell me, if I were to continue teaching, what would be the reason?” he said.
The situation is similar at Pensulo Adult Literacy Centre in Thyolo where Mary Likoma left because of low pay.
Some instructors are waiting for arrears accumulated since 2017, while newly recruited tutors, including Sandram Nsale, say they have waited for months without receiving their first payments.
In his September review on adult literacy, education activist Zizwa Msukuma said the challenges were widespread and not confined to the three districts.
“Government does not seem to pay attention to it, as it relies on finding other volunteers after others have left,” he said.
Msukuma also observed that many centres operate without standardised assessments, reliable attendance records and regular supervision.
According to the Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare, Malawi has about 9 000 adult literacy instructors who serve voluntarily and receive monthly honoraria instead of formal salaries.
In a written response, the ministry’s spokesperson Linda Moyo said the ministry was aware of the concerns but was yet to establish how many adult literacy instructors had left the programme.
“The ministry is awaiting reports from the councils to establish the number of instructors who have left,” she said.
Currently, instructors receive a monthly honorarium of K30 000, an amount below the K83 720 minimum wage for domestic workers.
On low honoraria, Moyo said the ministry had written to the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Decentralisation requesting that the allowance be adjusted to at least the national minimum wage.
Appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Social and Community Affairs in March, Community Development director Coltlida Sawasawa told the committee that the shift from cash payments through district councils to bank transfers had contributed to the accumulation of arrears.
She said the transition required verification by the National Audit Office (NAO), which had taken years to complete.
In a written response, NAO public relations officer Rabson Kagwamminga said verification had since been conducted in Lilongwe, Ntchisi, Kasungu, Balaka, Mulanje, Thyolo, Chitipa, Karonga and Rumphi.
He cited difficulties in obtaining payroll records, inadequate identification details and logistical challenges as reasons for delays in completing the exercise.
Moyo said payments had started in three districts, namely Ntchisi, Balaka and Lilongwe.
In the 2026/27 National Budget, K500 million is allocated to adult literacy and adult learning programmes, down from K933 million in 2025/26 fiscal year.
The five-year National Adult Literacy and Education Strategic Plan (2022–2027) estimates K58.3 billion for instructors’ honoraria, equivalent to approximately K11.7 billion annually if spread evenly across the five years.
The 2025/26 budget also allocated K7 billion for staff remuneration, according to figures from the ministry.
Civil Society Education Coalition executive director Benedicto Kondowe said the departure of instructors soon after recruitment creates a cycle of repeated hiring that undermines the continuity and effectiveness of adult literacy programmes.
“When instructors leave because of poor or delayed payments, government has to recruit and orient new tutors, disrupting lessons and affecting learners’ progress,” he said.
