By Wongani Mkonkholo, Nkhotakota
Chief Education Officer for Nkhotakota District Council, Alfred Chidiwa, believes the introduction of Free Primary Education (FPE) by the Malawi Government will help improve literacy levels in the district.
Chidiwa said in an interview with #MBCDigital that literacy levels in the district have been low in previous years but the introduction of FPE has increased access to education among learners.
“We have more than 150,000 learners in Nkhotakota, and the number may have increased further because education is now free. Those who were not attending school due to user fees are now able to learn without challenges,” he said.
He added that the district received primary education funds for three months of the current term on time from the central government.
He, however, recommended that the funding should be increased to meet the rising costs in the education sector.
Chidiwa further advised primary school authorities in the district not to demand any user fees from learners or parents, saying that those found doing so will be asked to return the funds immediately to the parents.
A parent, Towerachi Phiri from Kamange 1 Village under Senior Chief Malengachanzi, whose two children attend Nkhotakota CCAP Primary School, commended the government for introducing the programme.
“It was difficult for me to pay K1,000 as user fees due to financial challenges. My first-born child, Chisomo Soko, dropped out of school because I could not afford the user fees,” said Phiri.
President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika introduced free primary and public secondary education from January 2026.
The move is expected to further increase access to education in districts like Nkhotakota, which has a total number of about 173 primary schools.
