Strengthening the Teaching of Primary School Mathematics in Malawi
The Strengthening the Teaching of Primary School Mathematics in Malawi supported Malawi’s National Numeracy Programme (NNP). Led by the Malawi Ministry of Education and funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the four-year NNP worked to improve outcomes in mathematics so girls and boys have a solid foundation in basic skills to succeed in the rest of their schooling and fulfill their potential.
During the initial inception phase, the project developed a vision for mathematics teaching and learning in Malawi, new teaching and learning materials for standards 1–4 for piloting, a plan for revising the curriculum, and a training methodology for piloting. The pilot phase, which took place during the 2022 school year, involved promoting new materials and teacher training approaches in 200 schools across all divisions of Malawi.
School-to-School International (STS) led the evaluation of this pilot phase, working closely with its Malawian partner, the Centre for Educational Research and Training (CERT). STS designed and oversaw the study, combining test results with classroom observations, teacher and student feedback, and surveys to understand what worked well and what could be improved. The evaluation examined how the new materials supported student learning, how effectively teachers were able to use them, and whether students showed measurable gains in mathematics.
Through a series of reports, STS shared practical lessons and evidence-based recommendations to help strengthen the program before it is scaled up nationwide. This work ensures that decisions about expanding the reform are grounded in data, classroom realities, and the voices of teachers and learners—supporting Malawi’s goal of delivering higher-quality, more equitable primary education.
In partnership with Mott MacDonald, Cambridge, and FCDO
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Dates: 2020 – 2023