district will have an ECD resource centre to offer the necessary services to CBCCs. By
2018, the average care giver to child ratio will be 1:20 and the helper to child ratio will be
1:40.
68. The Ministry of Youth Development and Sports and NGOs are currently at the centre of
provision of non-formal basic education targeted at out of school (OOS) youths. OOS
youth comprise youths who dropped out of school and those who never attended school at
all. The equivalent of the programme is the first 5 years of primary education. The Ministry
of Education has piloted the implementation of Complementary Basic Education in 4
districts in Malawi which aims at providing essential knowledge, skills and values to
promote self-reliance, encourage lifelong learning and full participation in societal
development.
69. The main challenges in this regard are lack of advocacy on the subject; limited alternative
approaches to OOS youth education; absence of a relevant curriculum for out of youth
clubs; poor access for children with special needs; and weak linkages among youth clubs and
between youth service providers or policy makers.
70. In order to curb these challenges, Government plans to increase access to OOS through
Interactive Radio Instructions (IRI), Complementary Basic Education (CBE) and open and
distance learning. Government shall also integrate community based rehabilitation
programmes run with special needs components; and provide alternative forms of
education such as IRI and CBE. By developing a relevant curriculum and improving service
delivery, Government hopes to deal with issues of quality and relevance. Government also
intends to improve governance and management of OOS youth education by strengthening
dialogue among youth clubs and between the youth service providers or policy makers.
71. Government established 15 learning centres in 3 districts of Ntchisi, Chikhwawa and
Lilongwe Rural in the 2007/08 school year. It intends to increase the number to 500
annually with a target of an increase of 600 centres from 2012/13 school year.
72. In terms of Primary education as the longest existing structure under basic education,
Government encounters many challenges. The following challenges are among the major
ones: shortage of qualified primary school teachers; poor strategic management of teachers;
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