Fighting resource scarcity – sustainability in the education system of Malawi – case study of Karonga, Mzimba and Nkhata Bay district

Abstract

Malawi and specifically the Northern Region remains a mostly agricultural and very rural country. Hence, many households rely on agricultural activities, either as smallholder farmers or employees on bigger farms. Furthermore, the Malawian population growth of three per cent per annum is very high, which is why the demand for food and other resources like water or energy increases drastically. As ‘Agriculture’ is a subject within the Malawian curriculum this article focuses on its role and content. The research focuses on the teaching methods and content of the subject. A main focus was put on the way the concept of sustainability is being taught and the areas of sustainability that are being covered. A qualitative methodological approach, combining document analysis, ethnographical research and fourteen semi-structured interviews with teachers at public secondary schools in the Northern Region provided an in-depth insight into how the concept of sustainability is being grasped and taught. The importance and chances of teaching ‘Agriculture’ as a subject became visible, while at the same time many general and subject-specific obstacles remain and partly diminish the positive effects of the subject. Teachers are aware of the concept of sustainability, without necessarily being familiar with the terminology ‘sustainability’.