Maranatha Academy launches K15bn scholarship fund to put 500 students through secondary school
- Private academy opens applications for K12bn fund covering 500 students in 2026/27 academic year
- Each student to receive K24 million over four years, covering tuition and learning support
- Scheme open to Form 1–4 students from public, private and grant-aided schools
Prisca Ndundu never had to worry about school fees. In 2024, her only concern was passing her exams.
Her parents — both pastors at Living Waters Church in Lilongwe — could only afford to cover her transport to Maranatha Private Academy’s Machinjiri campus. The school covered the rest: tuition, learning support, all of it, free of charge.
Now in her second year at the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Luanar), Prisca’s story is being held up by Maranatha as a blueprint for what it hopes to scale up dramatically — a K12 billion Corporate Social Responsibility fund that will put 500 secondary school students through their education in the 2026/2027 academic year. Applications are now open to students across Malawi.
“We have seen brilliant students fail to report to school”
Each successful applicant will receive K24 million, according to Maranatha managing director Enerst Kaonga, with the money disbursed over four years to guarantee continuity.
“There are many young people with potential, but the challenge is money and this is how we come in,” Kaonga said.
“We have seen brilliant students fail to report to school, not because they did not pass, but because their parents could not manage.”
The scholarships — full tuition awards — are open to Form 1 to Form 4 students from public, private and grant-aided schools, including pupils already enrolled at Maranatha.
“These students will become the engineers, teachers and leaders who will contribute to the country’s development,” he said.
A track record with BEAM Trust
The new fund builds on Maranatha’s existing partnership with BEAM Trust, launched in 2019 to widen access to quality education for vulnerable students. The academy originally committed to supporting 55 students over five years — but ended up supporting 100, comfortably beating its own target.
That partnership followed an independent assessment by BEAM Trust, which rated Maranatha among the better-performing private academies in the country based on its teaching staff, curriculum and learning resources.
Many of those 100 students have since completed secondary school and gone on to public universities — part of a wider trend that has seen Maranatha’s university placement numbers climb from 172 to 431.
“Maranatha is in the league of those that offer long-term” support
Tendai Kabuluzi, a technician who benefited from a scholarship at another institution, says the ripple effects of this kind of investment are significant.
“CSR in Malawi is often a balance for the nation, with some companies implementing short to medium-term programmes while others focus on long-term interventions,” he said. “Maranatha is in the league of those that offer long-term [support], and this is very commendable.”
Part of a bigger national picture
Kaonga argues the investment goes beyond individual students. From a national development perspective, he says, this kind of CSR feeds directly into Malawi’s long-term human capital agenda, including the goals set out in Malawi 2063.
By channelling resources into education, he says, the academy is strengthening the pipeline of future teachers, health workers and engineers — helping close skills gaps and support inclusive economic growth.
Extending support into university
Maranatha’s CSR push isn’t stopping at secondary school. The academy has also signed a three-year agreement with Sharda University in India, offering top-performing Malawi School Certificate of Education graduates 100% scholarships. Maranatha and Sharda will split the cost, each contributing MK450 million.
Students who qualify on merit but miss out on a full scholarship will still benefit from a reduced fee structure — roughly half the standard cost of tertiary study.
With campuses in Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mponela, and an expansion into Mzuzu now underway, Kaonga says education will remain a core pillar of the academy’s CSR strategy — and he’s hoping other private sector players follow suit.
For many families, he says, the appeal lies in the model itself: sustained, multi-year support rather than a one-off gesture.
Prisca’s story, Kaonga says, is exactly the outcome the programme was designed to produce.