The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government's much-touted free secondary education policy will not be entirely free for thousands of learners in grant-aided schools, as parents and guardians will still be required to pay hefty boarding fees of K460,000 per term.
This has emerged in official communication between the Association of Christian Educators in Malawi (Acem) and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, casting doubt on the scope and equity of the policy set to take effect in January 2026.
In a letter dated December 26, 2025, Acem executive director Pascal Mtuwana informed proprietors of government-assisted (grant-aided) secondary schools that consultations with the Ministry of Education confirmed that only School Development Fund (SDF) and Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) fees have been abolished.
Boarding fees, he clarified, remain fully payable by parents and guardians, except for students on government bursaries.
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"Payment of boarding fees remains the responsibility of parents and guardians," Mtuwana said. "When schools reopen on January 5, 2026, parents will still be required to pay boarding fees as approved by Acem."
He stressed that the approved boarding fee remains K460,000 per student per term, with no increase.
A breakdown of the amount shows that K450,000 goes directly to boarding costs, while K10,000 is shared among church education structures--K4,000 to diocesan or synod education commissions, K3,000 to Acem, and K3,000 to the Malawi Council of Churches and the Bishops' Education Office.
Mtuwana added that all grant-aided Community Day Secondary Schools (CDSS) and Open Secondary Schools (OSS) will also contribute K10,000 per student per term, similar to assisted boarding schools, towards Acem and church education departments.
The Ministry of Education confirmed the arrangement in a separate letter dated December 22, 2025, signed by Secretary for Education Ken Ndala.
Ndala said government has allocated funds to grant-aided schools specifically to cover the abolished SDF and PTA fees.
"The ministry will transfer the first tranche of the school development fund to all grant-aided schools before January 5, 2026, and the balance by the end of January 2026," reads the letter.
He added that Acem has been directed to ensure that the abolished fees are not repackaged into boarding fees, but reduced accordingly.
However, education stakeholders say the clarification exposes a fundamental weakness in the free secondary education policy.
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Civil Society Education Coalition (Csec) executive director Benedicto Kondowe said while scrapping SDF and PTA fees is a welcome move, the continued payment of boarding fees undermines the promise of free education.
"Boarding fees of K460,000 per term are far beyond the reach of most Malawian families," said Kondowe. "If free secondary education is to be meaningful and equitable, government must urgently engage faith-based education providers to develop a sustainable financing arrangement for boarding costs."
He warned that without such reforms, the policy risks benefiting mainly day scholars, while excluding poor learners who rely on boarding facilities--particularly in rural areas.
The Malawi Government is rolling out free secondary education from January 2026 as part of fulfilling a DPP manifesto promise made ahead of the September 16 General Election, aimed at expanding access to secondary education.
But with boarding fees left untouched, critics argue that the policy, while politically appealing, falls short of delivering truly free secondary education for all.
