On Tuesday, July 24, 2018, U.S. Ambassador to Malawi Virginia Palmer and Minister of Foreign Affairs Emmanuel Fabiano signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) outlining their joint contributions to the Secondary Education Expansion for Development (SEED) initiative. SEED seeks to address a critical shortage of facilities, teachers, and seats needed to accommodate the more than 20,000 female students who graduate from primary school each year, but are unable to continue to secondary due to lack of space. Evidence suggests that a girl who is unable to proceed through school is at greater risk across an array of destructive outcomes and behaviors, including early sexual debut, HIV infection, early marriage, and economic marginalization. Under SEED, USAID will support the expansion of 33 community day secondary schools (CDSS) in the country’s largest urban centers: Blantyre, Zomba, Lilongwe, and Mzuzu. The second phase of SEED aims to support the construction of 1-5 new secondary schools in districts throughout Malawi with an aim towards ensuring that girls who successfully complete primary receive a place in secondary school. The Government of Malawi’s contributions to SEED include critical actions to recruit, train, and fund salaries for new teachers; ensure youth access to youth-friendly health services near secondary school grounds; and incorporate comprehensive sex education in the national curriculum to keep young people HIV-free.

Summary of U.S. Government Secondary School Activities in Malawi

• The USG through USAID and USDA are currently funding the construction of 16 CDSS and 1 girls' dormitory across the country through the AMAA/Give Girls a Chance to Learn project: 5 CDSS in Machinga, 6 CDSS in Balaka, and 1 girls' dormitory in Mzimba North
• One CDSS in each of the following districts: Dedza, Nsanje, Mulanje, Thyolo, Chiradzulu through a USDA funded program with the World Food Programme (WFP)
• Under SEED, there are two phases. The first phase will support the expansion of 33 CDSS in existing urban districts (Blantyre, Zomba, Lilongwe, and Mzuzu).
• The second phase of SEED will support the construction of 1-5 new secondary schools in all education districts across the country over 5 years.
• While the estimate is still preliminary, the USG anticipates being able to construct over 150-200 new secondary schools under SEED phase 2.