Story:
Assisting Malawi to Decentralize Technical Colleges through Governance and a New College Model
Assisting Malawi to Decentralize Technical Colleges through Governance and a New College Model
About this Project
Country:
Malawi
Project Type:
Policy Development, Governance Model, Strategic Planning, Management Training, New College Model
Sector:
Leadership, Organizational Development, Sustainability
Delivery Format:
In-Person
Partners:
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); European Union; Ministry of Labour, Skills and Innovation (MoLSI), Government of the Republic of Malawi; Technical, Entrepreneurial and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TEVETA); Lilongwe National Technical College; Nasawa National Technical College; Salima National Technical College; Soche National Technical College; Mangochi Community Technical College; Ngara Community Technical College; and Kasama Community Technical College
Project Year & Length:
2019-2020; 1 year
The Opportunity
- STEP is a five-year program that aims to empower the Technical, Entrepreneurial, Vocational Education and Training (TEVET) sector and its capacity to satisfy the economic need for professionals through the improvement of equitable and gender-balanced TEVET institutions.
- Niagara College collaborated with the STEP program with the goal of reforming the technical education system in Malawi which was highly centralized though a department in the Ministry of Labour, Skills, and Innovation.
- NC’s role in the project was to formulate and pilot a decentralized approach to the governance and management of seven TEVET institutions in Malawi: four national technical colleges (NTC) and three community technical colleges (CTC).
Our Approach
- Synthesized a few STEP studies and reports in the final year of the STEP project to develop a collaborative approach with government, government agencies, the select colleges and the STEP management team.
- Formulated the New College Model (NCM), an institutional framework based on research reports, consultation, and best practices from Africa and around the world which grounded the College Decentralization initiative.
- Aimed to implement a framework that created a more vibrant and decentralized TEVET sector that is:
- Demand-driven
- Performance-based
- Student-centered
- Innovative
- Employer-engaged
- Inclusive
- Quality-focused.
- Recommended that college management in Malawi moved forward with a suggested framework within the New College Model.
- Aimed to foster a proactive relationship with industry and communities with a goal to develop programs based on input from employers to meet both national and local skill priorities, contributing to the economic and social development of Malawi.
- Developed a vision and model for autonomy and outlined the key benefits of this shift as a starting point.
- Required a change management strategy to ensure that key stakeholders would participate and support this major shift in authority, responsibility, and accountability.
- Supported the development of a new institutional and governance framework for technical colleges.
- Helped establish a board of governors at each of the pilot colleges.
- Provided strategic results-based planning, more autonomy for principals and colleges, as well as a series of recommendations to the Malawi government and other key decision-makers for expansion and long-term sustainability of the initiative.
- Included several consultations with key stakeholders and a series of training workshops and coaching sessions in strategic planning and best practices of college management according to the New College Model, a framework for TVET excellence and autonomy.
- Created a Greening TEVET guide to enhance environmental sustainability at the colleges.
- Developed easy-to-follow governance resources and training to assist in Malawi’s college decentralization strategy.
- Focused on outlining a clear vision for the future of decentralization, engaging all participants, and ensuring support by leadership at all levels.
- Prepared a ministerial briefing at the end of the project for the new Government of Malawi to advise on next steps for the future of decentralization and long-term implementation of the NCM.
Partner Outcomes and Success
- Program participants, including senior College management and the new Board members, were highly engaged and motivated to offer more innovative, relevant training for the people in their communities.
- The engagement and training involved seven technical colleges and 110 participants in Malawi, including academic leadership, government officials and local business leaders.
- A Board of Governors was established and supported at each of the pilot colleges as well as a series of recommendations to the Malawi government and other key decision-makers for expansion and long-term sustainability of the initiative.
- Participants expressed a great commitment to the decentralization initiative, with the overwhelming majority supporting an increase in college autonomy.
- As a result of NC’s efforts, the college system in Malawi has a roadmap for further reform over the coming years which will bring increased access to high quality, sustainable Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET), and entrepreneurship opportunities for youth.
- The key achievements of the Niagara College initiative involved a series of operational and structural results including:
- A decentralization model that was developed and shared.
- The structure and role of new college Board of Governors was clarified supported by training and a comprehensive manual.
- Strategic plans were developed at pilot colleges.
- Consultations about changing roles were done with the Malawi government.
- Scaling report that shows how decentralization can move forward over the next five years was presented to stakeholders.
- With respect to capacity building and its effect on change-makers in Malawi, the NC team:
- Helped senior leaders understand and implement a new governance model.
- Enhanced colleges’ ability to engage stakeholders, employers, and the community, and to think strategically while conveying the message that autonomy means more accountability of colleges to the government, students, and the community.
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