DPP’s free secondary education excludes boarding fees

President Peter Mutharika has clarified that the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) 12-year free education policy will not cover boarding fees in secondary schools, as these are not part of the party’s manifesto commitment.

In a written response yesterday, presidential spokesperson Shadric Namalomba said the free education policy—announced by Mutharika on Sunday—will cover examination fees, identity cards, and the School Development Fund (SDF) at both primary and secondary levels, but not boarding costs.

“Boarding fees are not part of the DPP manifesto promise. Therefore, boarding fees will remain payable,” said Namalomba.

The DPP’s 2025–2030 manifesto commits to abolishing user fees in public primary schools, including SDF payments and Malawi National Examinations Board (Maneb) ID fees. At secondary level, it pledges to scrap examination fees for the Junior Certificate of Education (JCE) and Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) exams, along with SDF charges—but not boarding fees.

This clarification follows concerns from parents and education stakeholders about whether the free education pledge extends to boarding institutions.

During his first term in 2014, Mutharika’s administration abolished the K3 250 per-student payment in public secondary schools, which included K1 500 tuition, K1 500 general purpose fund, and K250 textbook revolving fund. However, SDF and boarding fees were retained—a structure that remains largely unchanged.

The 2024 Education Management Information System (EMIS) estimates that the recurrent unit cost of primary education is K55 644 per learner. With over 5.2 million learners, the annual cost reaches about K290.6 billion. Pupils have also been paying an average of K2 500 per term in SDF—equivalent to K13 billion annually nationwide. With its abolition, government will now shoulder this cost.

At secondary level, EMIS puts the unit cost per learner per year at K175 287, with 419 377 students enrolled in public secondary schools, translating to about K73.5 billion annually. Only about 25 000 students—or 6.9 percent—attend boarding schools (national, grant-aided, or district boarding), meaning roughly 390 000 students will benefit from SDF abolition.

Based on the average SDF of K75 000 per student per year, government will need K29.3 billion to cover the cost across day secondary schools.

At JCE level, candidates currently pay K20 130 for 11 subjects. Assuming 150 000 candidates, this translates to K3 billion in exam fees, while the Maneb ID fees for about 250 000 Primary School Leaving Certificate candidates would add K875 million annually. Combined, government will require at least K412 billion to implement the 12-year free education cycle across both primary and secondary levels.

Education experts have welcomed the DPP pledge but warned that the policy will only succeed if government addresses structural challenges in the sector.

Civil Society Education Coalition (CSEC) executive director Benedicto Kondowe noted that since 2020, government has not been releasing Other Recurrent Transactions (ORT) funds to schools despite submitted vouchers.

“For this policy to succeed, government must provide sufficient teaching and learning materials, expand classrooms, and recruit more teachers,” he said.

Edukans Foundation country director Limbani Nsapato added that the scrapping of all user fees is positive but warned that it requires heavy financial backing.

“When you look at the unit costs, this means there has to be a substantial investment of over K2 billion above the current K1.3 trillion education budget—pushing it to at least K1.5 trillion per academic year,” Nsapato explained.

While the DPP’s free education pledge promises relief to millions of parents, the exclusion of boarding fees and the huge financing gap raise critical questions about sustainability and implementation capacity. For now, the policy remains a bold vision—one that will demand unprecedented investment and accountability to deliver real results.

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