USAID / Malawi - Success Stories

Social Mobilization Campaign for Educational Quality Project (SMC-EQ)

USAID/Creative Center for Community Mobilization (CRECCOM)

This project aims at promoting quality basic education by developing functional school committees that facilitate two way communication between the school and the community, mobilize communities to participate in school development activities and monitor teacher and pupil behavior as well as classroom performance.

The following success stories are taken from the CRECCOM newsletter, November 2001 Issue.

Nkhwali Primary School Fends for Itself, by A. Phiri.

"Nkhwali Primary had reached the verge of losing pupils' interest as they were fed up with sitting on the classroom floor… Their clean clothes quickly became dirty due to the dust in the classroom. It seemed like no one cared about it until the SMC-EQ project came with its community mobilization activities.

The School committee discussed ways of combating the problem at their level. The committee resolved to solve the constraint by making benches for all eight classes in the school. The project was started soon after SMC-EQ sensitization by producing planks, which were used to make the benches. So far, they have made 50 strong benches.

The school committee chair said that their target is to make 100 benches and 100 desks.

In addition, the committee has also built a two-bedroom teachers' house, which is now occupied. The Committee also renovated a three-bedroom house to ease the problem of teacher accommodation.

These initiatives are indications that Nkhwali Primary School is not just lying idle. It is fending for itself rather than waiting for outside assistance. SMC-EQ enlightened people on their responsibility in the management of their school."

School and community members cooperate for Education Quality, by Flora Mvuta.

"For quite a long time school committee members, community leaders, parents, teachers and pupils did not have a clear idea of their roles and responsibilities regarding quality education. But soon after the SMC-EQ sensitization meetings, focus groups discussions and workshops, the situation changed. All began to take action.

Gogo school took the lead. Three teachers' houses were erected on a self-help basis. Soon after the training, the head teacher, Mr. J. Chogodama; his deputy, Mr. S. Kambalame; the school committee chair, Mr. Godex Jere and village headman, Gogo (who is the development chairman), agreed to construct teachers' houses using the bricks that were there for five years just growing moss and grass.

They had realized that their main problem was lack of understanding. Every household in the nine villages of the school catchments would contribute MK 100 and single headed household MK 50. The idea was unanimously supported, and the money was used to buy iron sheets.

This is like a dream to Gogo School because in the past the teachers and the community had lots of quarrels between them. They could not discuss issues of common interest, let alone talk of development at the school.

Teachers are now dedicated to their duties. For instance, they have introduced afternoon sessions.

The community is now highly motivated towards development work. In general, the improved relationship between teachers, committee members and parents has created an environment in which pupils are eager to learn. Credit goes to the SMC-EQ project for making the community realize they can play a significant role towards the improvement of the quality of education at their school."

USAID/ Malawi- Success Stories