Malawi stands a better chance of benefitting from the forthcoming 2021 Global Education Summit.
According to a statement signed by Ministry of Education Principal Secretary Chikondano Mussa, the Summit will benefit Malawi in leveraging international education grants that will support basic education.
Reads the statement: “Due to the economic downturn occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative for Malawi to keep an optimal level of education financing, and the Summit provides such a prospect.
Furthermore, this will be an opportunity for the Government of Malawi to align itself with regional and global coordinating mechanisms in realising the Sustainable Development Goal number 4, which is to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”.
The GES: Financing Global Partnership for Education (GPE) 2021-2025 will be co-hosted in London by the President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta and the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson on 28-29 July 2021.
GPE is the largest global multilateral fund dedicated to education in developing countries. It aims to strengthen education systems in developing countries to dramatically increase the number of children who are in school and learning.
The Partnership is particularly important in driving spending on basic education. The UK is currently the largest bilateral donor to the GPE.
According to the Ministry, Malawi has been a recipient of Global Partnership for Education (GPE) funding since 2010 (US$ 90million Fast Track Initiative Catalytic Fund in 2010-2014; US$ 44.5million 2016-2020, Malawi Education Sector Improvement Project; and US$10million grant, Accelerated funding on COVID-19 Response May 2020 to November 2021).
The Ministry added that the country is in the process of applying for new funding (US$ 57 million from GPE of which US$ 48.7 million has already been approved by the GPE Board, for the Malawi Education Reform Programme (2021-2025)
On the sidelines of the Summit, President Lazarus Chakwera who will be in attendance, will pronounce Malawi’s domestic financing commitment to the education sector with over 20% of public expenditure excluding debt being allocated to the education sector.
