Government to hire 1,100 secondary teachers as rising enrolment puts pressure on classrooms

Government says it will recruit at least 1,100 secondary school teachers, and is also preparing to hire additional primary school teachers as enrolment surges under Malawi’s free education policy.

Speaking on the sidelines of Parliament, Education Minister Bright Msaka SC said the new intake will support the expansion of secondary education while easing pressure in early‑grade classrooms, where numbers have risen sharply since school‑related charges were removed.

Msaka said the ministry is placing particular emphasis on foundational learning, increasing teacher numbers in Standards 1–4 to strengthen literacy and numeracy at the earliest stages.

He also confirmed that government will absorb all unemployed primary school teachers, including those from the IPTE 18 cohort, as part of efforts to stabilise staffing levels and improve learning outcomes across the system.