EXPLORING CULTURAL PRACTICES IMPEDING GIRLS’ SECONDARY EDUCATION IN MALAWI - THE CASE OF LILONGWE RURAL WEST EDUCATION DISTRICT (LRWED)

Oct 15, 2026

The study investigates cultural and social factors that impede girls’ secondary education in Lilongwe Rural West Education Division (LRWED), Malawi, where girls continue to underperform relative to boys. A mixed-methods design used multi-stage sampling of 295 respondents from government secondary schools, combining surveys, Key Informant Interviews, and Focus Group Discussions. Results link girls’ initiation ceremonies, unplanned pregnancies, early marriages, and poverty to poor retention, grade repetition, and dropout. The absence of sex education increases parents’ reliance on initiation ceremonies, suggesting curriculum inclusion as a mitigation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

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Abstract

Introduction

Purpose and Research Questions

EXPLORING CULTURAL PRACTICES IMPEDING GIRLS’ SECONDARY EDUCATION IN MALAWI: THE CASE OF LILONGWE RURAL WEST EDUCATION DISTRICT (LRWED) ESTHER MKAMANGA Mkwichi Secondary School, Lilongwe, Malawi KEN KAZIPUTA NDALA ANTONY CHIGEDA University Of Malawi, Chancellor College, Zomba, Malawi ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to investigate underlining cultural factors impeding girls’ secondary education in Lilongwe Rural West Education Division (LRWED) of Malawi. Underperformance of girls in comparison to boys in their education persists. Hence the need to explore the underpinning social-cultural factors is there. The study employed a mixed methods research design. Using a multi-stage sampling approach, a sample of 295 respondents was selected from five cluster leader government secondary schools in LRWED comprising of headteachers, teachers, Form 4 female students, and parents. Data were generated through survey questionnaires, Key Informant Interviews and Focus Group Discussions (FGD). Findings indicated that key social-cultural factors affecting girls’ education in LRWED include girls’ initiation ceremonies, unplanned pregnancies, early marriages and poverty. Initiation ceremonies were found to contribute to early sex experimentation that undermined girls’ continued interest and persistence in education through poor retention, repetition, and subsequent dropout. The findings further revealed that the absence of sex education in the schools’ curriculum is the lead cause of parental dependence on local initiation ceremonies. This implies that the incorporation of cultural and sex education in schools’curricula or programs could help curb parental dependence on initiation ceremonies for girls’ sex education and the challenges of early marriages and school dropout influenced by social-cultural factors. INTRODUCTION Girls’ education has been on both global and national agendas for some time and yet the inequalities in terms of access, retention, achievement, and accomplishment persist (MoEST, 2014a; Robertson, Cassity & Kunkwezu, 2017). According to the World Bank (2009), education for girls isone of the pathways to promoting social and economic development. Therefore, increasing the level of girls’ education in a country has a favorable impact on economic growth (World Bank, 2004) . Educational Planning | Fall 2022 27 Vol. 29, No. 4 Over the past three decades, the enhancement of girls’education has been shaped by several key human rights declarations and conventions and feminist theories (Agassi, 1989; Akkerman & Stuurman, 1998; Ferguson, 1985, Lorber, 2010; UN, 1948; UN,1962; UN,1966; UN,1979; UN, 2010; UNESCO, 2003) . Many countries incorporate these human rights and feminist perspectives into their national goals for implementation (UN, 2015) . Despite all these efforts, we still live in a world where education is characterized by extensive gender inequalities (Herz & Spurling, 2004). For example, the World Bank reports that there is a lack of progress in positive indicators on decreasing the gender gap in basic education. It is estimated that 481 million women 15 years and older lack basic literacy skills and that 64 percent of the total number are illiterate, a percentage virtually unchanged since 1990 (World Bank, 2015) . Cultural practices are considered key impediments to girls’education (Chimombo, [2000 et. al](2000 et. al); Hyde & Kadzamira, 1994; Kadzamira & Chibwana, 2000). The focus of this study, therefore, was to re-examine underlining cultural factors impeding girls’education in order to provide a more detailed account. The study adopted the ‘child rights-based approach’(CRBA) as a framework of normative concepts, according to international human rights instruments (Das, 2010) . The focus on girls’ education is due to persistent gender inequalities in the education sector in Malawi which threatens the country’s development ambitions. Around 4.6 million people are illiterate, with approxima

FAQs

What is the main aim of the study in LRWED, Malawi?

The study aims to investigate cultural factors and related social-cultural influences that impede girls’ participation and progress in secondary education in Lilongwe Rural West Education District (LRWED).

Which factors were identified as key impediments to girls’ education?

Key impediments include girls’ initiation ceremonies, unplanned pregnancies, early marriages, and poverty, which undermine retention and persistence in school.

How does the lack of sex education affect parental reliance and girls’ outcomes?

The findings indicate that the absence of sex education in the school curriculum leads parents to depend on local initiation ceremonies, contributing to challenges such as early sexual experimentation, early marriage, and dropout.

Oct 15, 2026

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