The tiers really come down to how much funding a school has and how many resources they have access to. For example, at top tier schools, you might see complete libraries and laboratories, textbooks for everyone, smaller class sizes, and even sometimes computer labs. Many of the top schools are boarding schools where the students travel from all over the country to come to live at the school for the whole term before going home during breaks.
My school is a Community Day School, meaning it is funded by the community and has fewer resources than the tier 1 and 2 schools. My school is split into two groups of students: day and open school. This is because of how many students don't test into the other schools but still want to learn. The day school is from 7:30am-2pm and the open school from 2-5pm.
Education is very important in the culture here and many parents will make large sacrifices to pay the school fees for their children. For example, one of my students, Wycliffe, told me that his dad promised him that he would even sell his house and live under the bridge if that meant putting Wycliffe through school. If you remember Prudancia’s interview from last week, you will also remember how important education was to her. Make sure you are taking advantage of the education you are receiving back in the States!
Now that you have the basics, I want to share a few of the challenges and realities of life in Malawi.
Like I said above, at the end of Form 4, you take the most important national exam. It is so important because how well you do will largely determine what type of career you will have.
