The Link for Education Governance (LEG) is urging the Malawi government to increase its education sector funding to between 15 and 20 percent of the national budget, Zodiak Malawi reports. Speaking on Monday during the launch of the 2026 Global Action Week for Education, LEG Executive Director Dr. Limbani Nsapato stated that underfunding is leaving many Malawians illiterate and threatening the nation's development targets. The advocacy group noted that the current education allocation of 11.7 percent in the 2026/2027 budget falls short of the required investment to improve learning outcomes.
In addition to demanding a larger share of the national budget, Nsapato called on authorities to abolish boarding fees in public secondary schools. According to Zodiak Malawi, LEG highlighted that while the government implemented free secondary education in January 2026, the continued collection of boarding fees remains a major financial barrier for students from low-income families. The organisation has asked the Ministry of Education to increase its direct funding to public boarding schools so that secondary education can become entirely free for all learners.