Girls activists group bemoans low funding towards child education

Local Organizations dealing with child rights have bemoaned low funding to the education sector effecting the need for government to provide quality education to children in the country.

This was revealed on Saturday during a Day of African child commemoration held at Kabuthu Primary School, Traditional Authority Kabudura (T.A) in Lilongwe district.

Girls Activist Youth Organisation (GAYO) National Executive Director Richard Batchi observes that Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number four states that every government is supposed to provide 20 percent to the education sector in their national budget but is not the case in Malawi where currently government has managed to provide 17 percent.

But in her remarks Deputy Minister of Education Monica Chang’anamuno said Tonse government has tried to reach 17 percent just remaining with 3 percent which is an achievement.

In the 2022-2023 national budget which Minister of Finance Sosten Gwengwe presented in Parliament show that the government will use 2.84 trillion kwacha where the education sector grabbed the lion’s share of 462.24 billion kwacha representing 16.3 percent of the total budget.

But one of pillars in sustainable goal number 4 states that by 2030 all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes.

And according to Batchi with the way the government is providing funding to the education sector it is worrisome if that can be materialized.

Batchi cited one example of the failure by government to provide 20% to education sector in national budget as one of the factors that can frustrate achieving of sustainable development goal number 4.

“We are complaining the way government is behaving by proving low funding to education sector because our aim is to make sure that education sector receive required funding which was agreed at the United Nations of providing 20 percent but see what is happening in Malawi the government is still providing low funding to the sector,“ Batchi complained.

But Chang’anamuno lamented that the government has lined up a number of activities aimed at improving education standards in the country.

The Deputy Minister cited on the construction of secondary schools in rural areas as milestone in improving education standards in the country.

Chang’anamuno said, “We are happy to announce that it is only the government of Dr. Lazarus Chakwera that has managed to provide lion’s allocation to the education sector in the national budget and we hope that we will continue providing enough funding until we reach 20 percent or more in the next budget”.

She has also said Chakwera Tonse government will strive towards achieving the 20 percent pack to the education sector.

Girls activist youth organization is implementing Girls Education Advocacy in the Region (GEAR) with funding Global Partnership for Education (GPE).

The Day of the African Child (DAC) is celebrated every year on June 16 and is a time for the world to reflect on the progress made towards children’s rights, as well as problems they continue to face and this year’s theme was “Eliminating Harmful Practices Affecting Children.”