Malawi USAID-Lilongwe Tisamale Mabuku (Let us take care of books) Project

Overview

This Tisamale Mabuku “Let us take care of books” Project will support the Government of Malawi’s (GoM) Ministry of Education’s (MoE) implementation of the USAID/Malawi supported National Reading Program (NRP) by improving the capacity of school communities to ensure that intended NRP teaching and learning materials (TLMs) are available in their school and community, and are managed and used appropriately. NRP TLMs include English and Chichewa learner’s books and teacher’s guides in Standards 1-8; decodable, leveled, and supplementary readers; resources developed to support literacy development of learners with special educational needs; and any other related materials. Where they are present, this includes technology used to support children’s literacy acquisition, such as MSL video lessons or assistive devices for learners with disabilities (Braillers, Orbit readers, etc.) or tablets used to give children access to reading lessons and materials. The Government of Malawi struggles to allocate enough resources to supply sufficient TLMs, while issues with TLM management and utilization, such as premature wear, tear, and loss, mean that books need to be replaced more frequently than schools and the Ministry can currently manage. Other books are kept locked away from children and teachers. Improved management and utilization of TLMs in schools and communities will increase children’s access to TLMs and thereby contribute to improved literacy outcomes.

To continue to improve English and Chichewa literacy learning outcomes, the current USAID/Malawi NextGen Activity builds on previous USAID/Malawi’s NRP support activities. Previous USAID funded NRP activities such as the Malawi Early Grade Reading Improvement Activity (MERIT), Yesani Ophunzira “Assess the Learner” Activity (YESA) and REFAM have engaged parents and communities in enhancing the reading culture among children, and also developed training manuals and guides for parents and community members on how to support children’s reading at school and home as well as on effective care and use of books. The school governing structures were oriented and trained on how they support and enhance children's reading development by establishing reading centers or camps in the communities. Experience from MERIT and YESA points to the need for clear structures for working with school community management members and engaging the various communities linked to each school. Other recent or current USAID/Malawi activities also support the NRP. The NextGen project focuses on Standards 1 and 2, and is intended to “solidify and build on the contributions made to date as part of the implementation of Malawi’s National Reading Program (NRP) towards improving the delivery of high-quality early primary reading instruction in all Malawian primary schools”. Several aspects of the NextGen activity seek to increase the number of TLMs in schools, the community, and homes, and to increase community engagement in literacy instruction. The NextGen project will:

● Support implementation of the SCA book chain recommendations [and policy], which may include promotion of private book markets. These recommendations include book tracking and tracing, data collection systems, and use of technology in data collection

● Support the provision and use of Standard 1 and 2 teacher’s and learner’s books, with the aim that by the final two years of the project the Government will provide 50 percent of books needed to maintain a 1:1 ratio

● Involve citizens and civil society organizations in data collection and support SMCs to track data on learners’ and teachers’ use of textbooks

● Promote youth-led reading camps and other community engagement activities and mobilize communities to bring reading materials to reading camps and establish community reading activities

● Find innovative solutions to ensure there are adequate reading materials (which could include digital formats) in homes and communities

● Train 100 percent of SMCs and PTAs

In addition to NextGen, USAID/Malawi’s other NRP-related activities include:

● Upper Primary Reading Activity (UPRead, 2021-2026) - Providing technical support for the revision of teacher’s guides and learner’s books for English and Chichewa for Standards 5 through 8; distribution will be done in 2023 and 2024 at a 1:1 ratio through another TLM Replenishment Activity to all public primary schools.

● TLM Replenishment Activity (2022-2023) - Intended to help schools maintain a 1:1 ratio where previously provided books had been lost or damaged due to wear and tear; in 2022 USAID provided 4,713,077 English and Chichewa books to Standard 1-4 learners in 5,546 schools, which allowed approximately 90 percent of Standard 1 and 2 learners to benefit from a 1:1 ratio, while the replenishment was at 30 percent for Standards 3 and 4.

● Global Book Alliance in Action (GBAIA, 2021-January 2023) - Developed, printed and distributed five hundred thousand children's books for use at home by children in Standards 1-4 distributed in 246 schools in Salima, Dowa, and Ntchisi. The books were distributed through SMCs and PTAs, and parents received demonstrations on best practices for caring for books and reading with their children. Messages were delivered through a social behavior change campaign (SBCC) focused on creating demand, and on improving care, maintenance, and storage of books. SBCC messages were delivered directly in community meetings, and through radio public service announcements, radio role plays or dramas, and print ads in newspapers. GBAIA also supported private publishers to create sale versions of readers for purchase and supported the MoE to develop a National Book and Reading Policy, building on the SCA recommendations.

● Reading for All Malawi (REFAM, 2019-2022) - Adapted materials for learners with disabilities and distributed them to schools and to parents, along with training in their use.

USAID intends to provide $4,000,000 in total USAID funding over a two year period.

This project will be at a national scale and will include at least 200 selected schools and their communities from all six education divisions. Depending on media used, some nationwide public awareness activities may be included. Although the project may not be in all schools, the nationwide distribution enables a multiplier effect where additional schools and communities benefit as the system is strengthened and SBCC messages reach those outside of the specific target communities. A scalable technical approach is preferred over a more intensive intervention at each participating school.