[{"bbox": [144, 107, 1086, 294], "category": "Text", "text": "Pre-service teacher training is provided by a number of institutions, namely Domasi College of Education (DCE), Nalikule College of Education (NCE), University of Malawi (Chancellor College and the Polytechnic), Mzuzu University and Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR). However, only Chancellor College and Mzuzu University also offer a one year University Certificate of Education (UCE) programme to non-education graduates in order for them to qualify as teachers. Teacher's union(s) can represent teachers and provide them opportunities for a meaningful participation for example in the policy advocacy and monitoring of the action."}, {"bbox": [144, 305, 1086, 519], "category": "Text", "text": "Rights-holder of the action is the whole population in Malawi, particularly children and their families, including children living in vulnerable situation, such as children with disabilities. In order to leave no one behind and make communities voices heard, local communities and their respective community representatives/leaders will be involved during the implementation in the planning and monitoring process. Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), both international and local, will represent rights-holders of the action. They play an active role in improving the education sector in Malawi. ISEM II will have to consider to what extent the grant aided initiatives in ISEM I have been successful, but it is anticipated that a similar mode of delivery will be applied."}, {"bbox": [144, 530, 1086, 585], "category": "Text", "text": "Gender focal points/units of indicated duty-bearers (public institutions) will be involved whenever possible."}, {"bbox": [144, 596, 1086, 755], "category": "Text", "text": "During the inception phase, a further analysis will be conducted of the stakeholders as duty-bearers (public institutions) and representatives of the rights-holders (CSOs and universities) and right-holders (people). During this analysis the capabilities will be assessed: the capabilities of duty-bearers to fulfil their obligations towards rights-holders (regulations, systems, monitoring mechanisms, etc) and rights-holders' capacities to claim their rights regarding equal access to education (i.e. access to information, language barriers, access to schools/transportation, discrimination, etc)."}, {"bbox": [144, 768, 630, 796], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 1.5 Problem analysis/priority areas for support"}, {"bbox": [144, 806, 1086, 861], "category": "Text", "text": "The context description has portrayed the circumstances that still persist with regard to low participation in secondary education and which perpetuate the inter-generational poverty cycle."}, {"bbox": [144, 871, 1086, 1139], "category": "Text", "text": "There are three different kinds of secondary schools: conventional (day, boarding and open), private (including grant-aided - religious) and Community Day¹³. About 76% of learners, especially from poor families, learn in CDSSs; which are poorly resourced and whose quality of education is compromised. In addition, the majority of these CDSSs are located in remote areas with few or no amenities, including housing. It is therefore a challenge to attract qualified teachers, particularly females, to serve in these schools. As a result, CDSSs have the lowest completion rates and worst performances in national examinations. The disparity between urban and rural schools in terms of completion is 26%, greater than the gender disparity of 9%. While the average pass rate of a conventional day school, at Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) level, is 73%, CDSS average pass rate is at 49%, giving the CDSS lower opportunities to transition to higher education."}, {"bbox": [144, 1149, 1086, 1522], "category": "Text", "text": "A serious shortage of classrooms forced many children to learn outside in the open air or in compromised structures and many children attending schools have limited access to furniture, as well as teaching and learning materials being in short supply. Inadequate and poor infrastructure is one of the most pressing demands in schools and the biggest contributor to the low transition rate. Students continue to learn in dilapidated classrooms and without any laboratories for sciences or adequate sanitation facilities, especially in CDSSs. This situation is further exacerbated during the rainy seasons causing recurrent and increasing flood events in a country where schools are often used as evacuation sites contributing to education disruption, sometimes for weeks. For this reason, a Disaster Preparedness (DP) for schools is mainstreamed and Crisis Modifiers could be used during implementation. In addition, the long distances from home to school that children experience affect attendance and therefore achievement. Girls are at a greater risk as they are subject to sexual violence on their way to, in and from school. Among 13- to 17-year-old females, the most common location for incidents of sexual abuse was on a road or in school¹⁴. Poor water and sanitation facilities further disproportionately affects girls where the lack of clean water and gender-separated toilets can in the long-run lead to permanent drop-out."}, {"bbox": [144, 1566, 1086, 1634], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹³ Secondary education is offered through government conventional, CDSSs and private schools. Government conventional schools have the basic minimum and above of infrastructure and other teaching and learning resources. On the contrary, CDSSs are community owned schools with limited infrastructure and teaching and learning resources."}, {"bbox": [144, 1634, 1086, 1658], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹⁴ Ministry of Gender, Children, Disability and Social Welfare (2014) Violence against Children and Young Women in Malawi."}, {"bbox": [608, 1676, 623, 1697], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "6"}]