The Schooling of Orphans and Their Lives in Malawi: A Case Study of Continued Schooling of Orphans in Secondary Education

Abstract

  Many studies conducted on the schooling of orphans in Sub-Saharan Africa have focused on the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and poverty on the dropout rates of orphans in both primary and secondary education. These studies have frequently been based on statistical analyses, upon which development partners place great value. However, it is also important to explore how the orphan school dropout rate is affected by the capacities of the orphans and their households to cope with the challenges arising from the HIV/AIDS epidemic and poverty. This type of exploration usually involves qualitative analyses based on long-term fieldwork, which are not common among development partners. The qualitative approach is more advantageous in exploring people’s capacity and skills, and in observing their practices.

  The present study was conducted in Malawi, located in southeast Africa. Malawi is one of the poorest countries in the world and has a high HIV/AIDS incidence rate; the HIV/AIDS pandemic causes 48,000 deaths annually and there are as many as 790,000 orphans across the country. The enrollment of orphans at school is 11% and 19% in primary and secondary education, respectively. Although secondary education is not free, unlike primary education, many orphans manage to attend secondary school after completion of primary education. On the other hand, previous studies have revealed that both orphan boys and girls often have to drop out of secondary school, primarily due to economic difficulties in paying school fees.

  The purpose of this study was to investigate how orphans in secondary schools, especially those in the low-income classes of society, manage to continue their education. The study focuses on two aspects: (1) coping skills to prevent the dropout of orphans at the individual (i.e., the level of the orphans themselves) and the household levels; and (2) practical efforts to support orphans at the school level.

  The fieldwork conducted for this study uncovered a number of findings. In relation to the first aspect of our focus, it was found that many orphans involve themselves in various income-generating activities during school-term holidays. This income is then used to pay part of their school fees and to purchase groceries, school uniforms, and stationary goods. These activities help relieve their families’ or relatives’ burden of costs for schooling and contribute to orphans’ education. Generally, many orphans become unstable psychologically and economically after their parents have died, and consequently, some of them do not often go to school, which negatively impacts their leaning. These orphans and their guardians often decide to repeat grades to catch up on missed studies. Repeating the same grade in school is expected to enhance the effectiveness of subsequent learning. It should be noted, however, that our interview with orphans has indicated that this approach of repeating the same grade to enhance the effectiveness of learning occurs only in primary education, which is free, but not in secondary education as it requires school fees.

  Secondly, concerning the practical efforts to support orphans at the secondary school level, it was found that such support to needy families is granted according to the headmaster’s discretion, for example, by postponing the payment of school fees or allowing payment in installments, half remission or even exemption. Generally this kind of arrangement is set up by negotiation between school administration and orphans or their relatives. In some cases, teachers personally support orphans if necessary. However, before helping them, teachers observe orphans and their families, especially by paying attention to their living conditions such as cleanliness of orphan’s clothes and family’s possession of valuables. In addition, NGOs and government also provide (View PDF for the rest of the abstract.)