Update: Over 13,000 students have been excluded from the provisional list of beneficiaries for higher education loans and grants, according to Malawi24. The Higher Education Students' Loans and Grants Board recently approved 33,258 students, representing 72 percent of the 46,398 applicants for the 2026/2027 academic year. Board spokesperson Mercy Chijere announced that unsuccessful applicants have from August 24 to August 28, 2026, to appeal the decision through the Student Financing Management Information System, noting that the final number of beneficiaries could still change after further vetting.
In secondary education, the Association of Christian Educators in Malawi has increased its boarding fees ahead of the new academic term, Nation Online reports. Following consultations with the Ministry of Education, the association raised the baseline boarding fee to K580,000 per student per term, effective September 1, 2026. The association stated that the adjustment was necessary to offset the rising costs of food, utilities, and other essential commodities affecting school proprietors.
Meanwhile, Catholic Auxiliary Bishop Vincent Mwakhwawa has warned that Malawi will remain trapped in poverty unless the country addresses rising school dropout rates and child marriages, according to Nyasa Times. Speaking at an archdiocesan children's congress in Mchinji on Sunday, the bishop urged parents to take responsibility for keeping children in school, noting that families themselves often perpetrate the practices that lead to early dropouts.
Second Vice-President Enock Chihana has announced a two-month deadline to resume construction of the long-awaited Mbelwa University project, Pan African Visions reports. Speaking at a church gathering in Kasungu, Chihana emphasized that national development initiatives must not be abandoned when political administrations change, promising that the government will secure public-private partnerships to finance the university's completion in Mzimba.