STEP

Strengthening Teacher Education and Practice in Malawi

The STEP activity is an investment and partnership with the Government of Malawi (GOM), through the Ministry of Education (MoE). It builds upon GOM, United States Government (USG), and other development partners’ programming by strengthening Malawi’s higher education sector, specifically its teacher training colleges (TTCs), as well as the MoE itself. The purpose of the STEP activity is to improve the capacity of TTCs and the MoE to strengthen primary teacher preparation programs and operationalize a continuing professional development framework for both new and continuing teacher for more effective management of human resources at the primary education level.

School to School International (STS) played a central role in leading the project’s operations and financial management in Malawi while providing technical expertise in teacher education, early grade literacy, education research, and monitoring and evaluation. Working closely with the Ministry of Education and Teacher Training Colleges (TTCs), STS focused on strengthening the systems that prepare and support teachers—both before they enter the classroom and throughout their careers. This work aimed to ensure that teachers are better equipped, better supported, and more effective in helping young learners succeed.

To strengthen pre-service teacher training, STS partnered with government and TTCs to improve how future teachers are prepared for the classroom. STS supported the development of a nationwide strategic plan for teacher education and helped better connect student teaching, practicum experiences, and research to what student-teachers learn in their coursework. The team worked to improve the quality and delivery of teacher training curricula, including introducing flexible and inclusive approaches such as Universal Design for Learning. STS also provided professional development opportunities for TTC faculty to stay connected to classroom realities and led a comprehensive Foundation Literacy Course for language teacher educators across all primary teacher training institutions. Through this work, more than 120 educators strengthened their literacy instruction skills and learned how to use participatory research to improve their own teaching. STS also conducted a baseline situation analysis that gave the Ministry a clear picture of how Malawi’s initial teacher education system was functioning and where improvements were most needed.

In parallel, STS helped translate these improvements into a sustainable system for teachers already in the classroom by supporting the development of a national Continuous Professional Development (CPD) framework. This framework linked in-service training to clear career pathways, giving teachers structured opportunities to grow professionally over time. STS supported the Ministry in designing practical service delivery models that could be implemented at both national and district levels and in strengthening the systems needed to monitor and manage CPD effectively. The work also focused on building stronger connections between schools, districts, and TTCs so that feedback from classrooms could inform teacher training. By helping establish new teacher induction standards and clear professional and administrative career pathways—particularly in early primary education—STS contributed to a more coherent, motivating, and effective system for developing teachers across Malawi.

Dates: 2022 – 2025