Abstract

Despite having policies and strategies aimed at reducing repetition in primary schools, class repetition has remained on the higher side in Malawi. The Ministry of Education has been losing over MWK 14 billion annually for the past five years on primary school repeaters. These policies on repetition rely on communities’ support to education among others to help reduce repetition. However, the communities have not been involved in direct delivery of education and where such initiatives existed studies have not shown whether these initiatives contribute to reduction of repetition. Therefore, this study explored the contribution of community based reading and numeracy camps in Zomba rural district to reduction of class repetition. The study hybridized two overlapping conceptual frameworks; the World Business Council for Sustainable Development’s (WBCSD) Measuring Impact (MI) Framework and the DFID’s 4Es Value For Money (VFM) Framework. The study used the mixed methods approach. Checklists, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and documentary analysis were used to generate data. The study sampled 606 learners(437 camp going learners, 167 non-camp going learners). Data was also collected from 64 informants through interviews. Scientific Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and thematic analysis were used to analyse data. The study revealed that over the past five years, learners who attended camps had significantly lower repetition records than those who did not attend camps. Major implications in the study are; the success of each project depends on its design, the Ministry is aware of the repetition problem and its consequences, the repetition policies have not been effective and community involvement in delivery of complimentary education can help reduce repetition in lower primary grades. The same study at a larger scale is a suggested further research.

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School	: School of Education
Issued Date	: 2021

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