In an apparent reaction to backlash from stakeholders, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education has shelved plans to harmonise conditions of service and salary structures for teachers in private schools nationwide.
The ministry’s director of quality assurance Golden Msilimba had initially announced a meeting this Friday with directors and proprietors of all private schools in the country.
He wrote Independent Private Schools Association of Malawi (Isama) president Ernest Kaonga on August 12 that the Friday meeting emanated from observations that there were disparities in salary structures and general conditions of service; hence, the need for harmonisation.
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But in an inter v i ew yesterday, Kaonga said they had reservations on the decision, especially because it was targeting private schools only. He said the move had the potential to disenfranchise many underprivileged families.
He said: “You cannot place smaller schools at the same level as bigger ones, which have bigger fee structures. Putting them on the same scale means you are killing smaller institutions.
“Private schools are doing a lot in Malawi. There are a lot of kids out there and it is not good to kill their future. Families won’t afford to send kids to bigger or well-established schools. They will really suffer.”
Civil Society Education Coalition executive director Benedicto Kondowe wrote the ministry, saying that while the intention to harmonise salaries for private school teachers might seem noble, it risks causing more harm than good given Malawi’s diverse education landscape.
He reminded government that private schools operate under vastly different resource capacities—some barely breaking even, while others thrive in high-income areas.
Said Kondowe: “For small, low-resource schools, the requirement to meet a harmonised salary scale could result in closure, removing vital education access points for disadvantaged learners.
“For better-resourced schools, a downward adjustment to meet a common scale could trigger teacher attrition, reduce competitiveness and undermine quality.”
He said without a clear plan for government subsidies, grants or other support mechanisms, the policy risks being unsustainable, akin to regulating market prices without addressing underlying supply and cost structures.
For Kondowe, a more practical and future-proof solution lies in strengthening the minimum wage framework for the education sector, as seen in the transport industry with truck drivers.
Edukans Foundation country director Limbani Nsapato said government should not police private schools, observing that Capital Hill was already failing to enforce standards and improving welfare in public schools due to resource constraints.
He said: “They don’t have enough people, not even enough money to ensure mobility to all schools because even for public schools, they don’t do the required visits in a year. They
would, therefore, not have enough money to visit private schools.
“This is not to say that private schools have to be exploiting their workforce. They are offering a service and teachers deserve better. Some teachers stay long without getting salaries while others are dismissed anyhow.”
Meanwhi le, Ms i limba has confirmed cancellation of tomorrow’s meeting due to growing concerns from stakeholders.
“We are supposed to have a meeting at the ministry to re-look at this decision to harmonise the conditions of service and salary structures. Thereafter, I will let you know of the outcome. For now, know that the Friday meeting has been cancelled,” he said.
Based on the 2024 Malawi Education Statistics report, there are 1 198 private primary schools with an enrollment of 197 400 pupils and 483 secondary private schools with an enrolment of 119 423 students
