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Education in Malawi

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The Republic of Malawi follows the British educational system that has the 8-4-4 levels known as the Primary education, Secondary education and University or Higher education under the control of the government’s Ministry of Education. The primary education is free and compulsory to all children aged six years old and lasts for eight years in government-financed and privately run primary schools. Among the private primary schools are the Kamuza Academy and the St. Andrews School, which also offer courses for the secondary education. In some primary schools, the entry age varies among many children because of various reasons, one of which is their multiple grade or first grade repetitions.

The secondary education consists of two cycles of two years each and is offered by conventional public and private secondary schools and by Community Day Secondary Schools (CDSS) and some private schools for students who are not selected into the formal secondary schooling for failure to pass the nationwide primary school certificate examinations. The government has also designated certain primary and secondary schools for children of expatriates or self-exiled foreign nationals and foreign mission personnel in the country.

Higher education is offered to secondary school graduates by the University of Malawi, the country’s largest tertiary institution, and the Mzuzu University. The other institutions that also offer collegiate courses are located in Lilongwe and Blantyre.