In Malawi, a staggering number of girls are forced to abandon their education due to a critical lack of sanitary facilities in schools. This glaring issue has far-reaching consequences, compromising the future of countless young girls. Mapazi Zone in Blantyre Rural serves as a poignant example of this crisis.
Recent findings have revealed that the absence of menstrual facilities in schools is a significant contributor to the high dropout rate of girls. In Mapazi Zone, which comprises eight schools, the lack of sanitary facilities has resulted in girls missing classes or dropping out of school altogether. This has had a devastating impact on the zone’s performance in both district and national examinations, with a dismal 2% pass rate recorded in the previous mock examination.
Mervis Chitika, Project Coordinator at Youth Coordinating Agency in Development (YOCADE), emphasizes that the lack of sanitary facilities is a major obstacle to girls’ education. “Girls are forced to stay home during their menstruation due to the absence of proper facilities, leading to missed classes and eventually, dropout,” she notes.
YACODE’s community dialogues with Youth and Mother Groups in four selected schools – Mapazi and Chipande in Blantyre Rural, and South Lunzu and Namilango in Blantyre Urban – have also revealed that early pregnancies and early marriages are leading causes of girls dropping out of school. The alarming dropout rates in these schools underscore the urgency of the situation, with 11 girls dropping out of school at Namilango, 21 at South Lunzu, and 34 at Mapazi last year.
These statistics serve as a stark reminder of the need for immediate action to address the barriers to girls’ education in Malawi. “As we strive to achieve quality education for all, we must prioritize the needs of our girls, providing them with safe, inclusive, and supportive learning environments,” emphasizes Chitika.
Malawi’s national school dropout rate stands at 10.5%, with factors such as long distances from home to school, poverty, and unfriendly school environments, including inadequate classroom infrastructure and lack of sanitary facilities, contributing to this alarming statistic.
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