Malawi 2015-16

Patterns by background characteristics
• Among both women and men, the median number of years of schooling is higher in urban areas than
in rural areas with 6.7 years versus 2.7 years among women and 7.6 versus 3.4 years among men.
• Educational attainment increases with household wealth. Women in the lowest wealth quintile have
completed a median of 1.6 years of schooling compared with a median of 6.5 years for women in the
highest wealth quintile. The median number of years of schooling increases from 2.1 years among men
in the lowest wealth quintile to 7.3 among those in the highest quintile.
• The median number of years of schooling is highest in the Northern region (4.6 years for women and
7.6 years for men). Differences in the median number of years of schooling are minor between the
Central region (3.0 years for women and 3.8 years for men) and the Southern region (2.9 years for
women and 3.7 years for men).
• The percentage of household populations with no education is higher in rural areas than urban areas
(16% versus 5% for females and 3% versus 9% for males).
2.9.2 School Attendance
Net attendance ratio (NAR)
Percentage of the school-age population that attends primary or secondary
school.
Sample: Children age 6-13 for primary school NAR and children age 14-17 for
secondary school NAR
Ninety-four percent of girls age 6-13 attend primary school compared with 93% of boys (Table 2.13). The
net attendance ratio (NAR) drops in secondary school: only 18% of girls and 17% of boys age 14-17 attend
secondary school.
Patterns by background characteristics
• At the primary school level, there is little
difference in NAR between urban and rural
(95% and 94%, respectively). However, at the
secondary school level, the NAR is much higher
in urban areas than in rural areas (41% versus
13%).
• Among regions, the Northern region has the
highest NAR both at the primary school level
(96%) and the secondary school level (21%).
• The NARs increase with household wealth,
especially at the secondary school level.
Attendance in the lowest wealth quintile is 5%
of girls and 4% of boys compared with 42% of
girls and 40% of boys in the highest wealth
quintile (Figure 2.5).
Figure 2.5 Secondary school attendance
by household wealth
Net attendance ratio for secondary school among
children age 14-17
5 4 5
6
Girls
10 11
Boys
20
18
42 40
Lowest Second Middle Fourth Highest
Poorest
Wealthiest
Housing Characteristics and Household Population • 15