By Alfred Chauwa
The Malawi Institute of Education (MIE), with guidance from the Ministry of Education, has achieved a historic milestone by developing the country’s first-ever curriculum and assessment framework for the Pre-Primary Class (P-Class).
The framework, recently approved by the Government, marks a transformative step towards strengthening early childhood education and ensuring that every Malawian child begins school with the foundational skills necessary for lifelong learning.
For the first time, children entering formal education will be equipped with the pre-literacy, numeracy, and social-emotional skills needed to succeed in Standard 1.
This development addresses long-standing gaps in school readiness that have contributed to poor early-grade performance and high repetition rates.
Building on this milestone, MIE has developed Teacher’s Guides and Learner’s Books for the P-Class.
These materials are currently under expert review to ensure quality, relevance, and alignment with Malawi’s national education goals.
In an exclusive interview, MIE Executive Director Dr Frank Mtemang’ombe said with support from the Ministry of Education and education development partners, the Institute plans to field-test these materials and orient teachers to the new framework within the current financial year before April 2026.
The field-testing phase will help validate the materials’ effectiveness in real classroom settings before nationwide rollout.
“This curriculum gives every Malawian child a fair start. It sets the foundation for literacy, numeracy, and creativity in a way that connects to our national vision for inclusive, quality education,” said Dr. Frank Mtemang’ombe.
This milestone according to the ED underscores MIE’s leadership in education reform and its commitment to ensuring that Malawi’s 5yrs old learners have access to relevant, evidence-based, and culturally grounded education from the start.
