JPG

A child's notebook from an overcrowded one-room primary school in Kande Village in Malawi.

Malawi became a multiparty democracy in 1993. This huge change in the political scene increased civil liberties but the system is certainly not without its problems.

One change democracy brought with it was free Primary school education. Unfortunately, the introduction of the program also created problems like overcrowded classrooms, unqualified teachers and lack of supplies. There is also a big problem with absenteeism because the term "free" is misunderstood to mean that attendance is voluntary - by both students and teachers.