Education Transforms: A Call to Action and for Accountability on Progress Towards Education Transformation Summit Commitments
Issued this 5th day of June 2024
The Civil Society Education Coalition (CSEC) joins the Global Campaign for Education (GCE) and its worldwide partners to commemorate the 2024 Global Action Week for Education (GAWE). This occasion provides a significant opportunity for the Coalition, its global partners, and education non-state actors to amplify their voices on crucial education issues central to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4. This year’s GAWE is celebrated under the theme “Transformative Education,” which perfectly aligns with CSEC and its partners’ mandate, as Malawi is one of the governments committed to the five-point TES commitments.
Malawi has demonstrated its commitment to education through increased investment and a strong focus on foundational learning. The GCE underscores the transformative power of education in driving social justice, sustainable development, and individual freedom. Education should contribute to peace by fostering values, knowledge, and behaviors that promote harmony. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated education policy actions, with many countries, including Malawi, revising curricula to connect learning to daily life and integrate health and climate change education. The pandemic also highlighted neglected issues such as mental health, water and sanitation, and the digital gender divide. The Transforming Education Summit (TES), convened by the UN Secretary-General in 2022, galvanized global efforts to transform education.
Over 130 countries, including Malawi, committed to rebooting their education systems and accelerating action to end the learning crisis. Malawi participated in five thematic action tracks: inclusive schools, learning for life, teacher development, digital learning, and financing education. CSEC believes that transformative education requires transforming education systems to adapt to changing realities. This includes decolonizing curricula and addressing challenges such as the language of instruction. Education reforms must be culturally sensitive to reach marginalized groups, including indigenous peoples.
President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera’s appointment as the Global Partnership on Education (GPE) Education Ambassador at the 28th — 29th July 2021 Global Education Forum in London underscores Malawi’s leadership in global education initiatives. The forum successfully galvanized global support for education, resulting in a $5 billion pledge for the Global Education Fund. This year’s GAWE focuses on transformative education and encourages governments to follow up on their commitments to the TES. As 2030 approaches, CSEC and its global partners will continue to lobby and demand accountability from the government to ensure the realization of the commitments made at the 2022 Transformative Education Summit. This is crucial to achieving SDG 4 targets and ensuring equitable, inclusive, and quality education for all.
The Coalition acknowledges that although the government committed to allocating 15%-20% of the budget to education, it has allocated less than or equal to 16% over the last three financial years. We urge the government to fulfill its commitment by allocating at least 20% of the national budget towards education. Furthermore, the Coalition calls upon the government to fulfill its commitment to domestic financing for education within the Incheon 2030 Framework. The government should commit to equitable financing proportional to educational priorities, needs, and capacities to achieve SDG 4. The national budget should prioritize the poorest and most marginalized communities to counteract inequality and exclusion in education.
In conclusion, while the Government of Malawi, through the Ministry of Education, has made progress in transforming the education sector to ensure inclusive, equitable, safe, and healthy schools that provide learning and skills for life, work, and sustainable development, more needs to be done. The overarching challenges must be addressed to ensure every child in Malawi has access to quality, relevant, and inclusive education. We call upon the government to reaffirm its commitment to the transformative education agenda and urge all stakeholders, including development partners, civil society, and the private sector, to support the implementation of these critical initiatives. Together, we can build an education system that empowers learners to become active and responsible citizens, contributing to the socio-economic development of Malawi.
