Former president Joyce Banda this week reignited the debate on free public secondary school education in the country, by pledging to prioritise free secondary school if elected as president in the September 16 General Election this year. She said this in Lilongwe on Wednesday during an interface with women from the Muslim faith community.
She presented valid points for her proposal, including the fact that education is the well documented greatest equaliser, a sure way out of poverty. Banda also highlighted that she was speaking on a matter that she has experience in, having been providing scholarships for many needy students for several years.
Without wanting to dismiss this proposal, it is important to acknowledge that free secondary education is a complex issue with both potential benefits and challenges, which is why the idea should be approached with caution.
On one hand, free secondary education in public secondary schools could increase access to education for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, potentially leading to a more skilled and educated workforce. The free tuition eliminates financial barriers that prevent many students from pursuing secondary education, particularly those from low-income families. This would mean the majority rural population in Malawi, estimated to be around 70 percent of the 20 million population, would get the much-needed relief to afford a secondary school education without many hurdles.
Free secondary education would also ensure a more educated population, which can lead to greater economic growth and development, as well as more informed and engaged citizens. This is also good for ensuring a thriving democracy, where politicians do not take advantage of the ignorance of the majority to abuse systems and plunder resources. There is also the element of opportunities for improved socio-economic standing for students that free education could provide, among other benefits.
However, free education could also strain public resources, potentially impacting the country’s quality of education due to increased class sizes or reduced funding for resources. We already saw this play out in the aftermath of the free primary school education that the government introduced in the early 1990s. It led to various compromises, including poor classroom space, poorly trained or unqualified teachers and inadequate school resources such as books for the thousands of pupils that were suddenly able to enrol in school. The country is arguably yet to recover from the impacts of this rushed policy shift.
What I have observed is that this, in a way, further worsens the divide between the poor and the rich, as those that access this free yet substandard quality education are not able to compete favourably for spots in public universities or on the job market based on the quality of their education upon completion of the secondary school education. Where entry requirements are softened to accommodate the ‘substandard’ entrants in universities or the job industry, the output suffers.
Besides these known impacts, there is also the squeezing of the public purse that free education brings. Implementing free education can require significant increases in public funding, potentially straining government budgets and leading to other cuts. In a country where the tax base is so narrow that the government perpetually depends on development partners bailouts, this can present an even bigger challenge.
Therefore, while Malawi, as a poor country, may benefit from free public education, these considerations have to be made before such a policy were to be implemented. Implementing free education requires a commitment to long-term funding and resource allocation to ensure quality and equity. There will be a need for tangible investments in infrastructure and resources to accommodate increased enrolment and maintain high quality standards.
Furthermore, the government would need to ensure that teachers are well-trained and supported for effective teaching and learning of the huge student populations that may likely storm the public schools.
At the end of the day, any shift of policy, including in the education systems, should aim to respond to citizens’ needs in a manner that does not worsen the prevailing situation. Therefore, while free secondary education would contribute to a more equitable and skilled nation, careful consideration must be given to the potential challenges and implications of implementation. Successful implementation requires adequate funding, a focus on quality, and a commitment to ensuring that education is relevant to the needs of students and society.
