Bridging the Gap to Higher Education in Malawi

Compassionate encouragement and support can make all the difference in a girl childs’ successful completion of secondary education in Malawi. Sr. Agnes Mmanga of the Sisters of Our Lady of Amersfoort (SOL) understands this on a personal level. With the assistance of the ASEC Scholarship Program, Sr. Agnes returned to secondary school as an adult to qualify to earn the higher education credentials needed to serve as a teacher. As a three-time graduate of ASEC programs, she is now providing that same encouragement to special needs students at Stella Maris Girls Secondary School.

In Malawi, higher education enrollment is among the lowest in the world. Admission to universities is based on passing the Malawi Certificate of Education (MCE) exams. Excellent scores on these exams are necessary to even be considered for enrollment, as only a small number of secondary school graduates are accepted for higher education and training. For the 2024-2025 academic year, only 58% of qualified applicants (those who scored high enough on exams) were admitted to universities in Malawi. High-quality secondary education is necessary to perform well on the MCE exams.

Sr. Agnes “never expected to be a teacher of someone someday.” Her MCE scores when she entered religious life were low; the bachelor’s degree required to become a teacher seemed a distant dream.

Sr. Agnes’ congregation sent her to complete the Administration Track of ASEC’s Sisters Leadership Development Initiative (SLDI) in 2014. With the encouragement of ASEC Malawi staff, Sr. Agnes and her superior agreed that participating in the ASEC Scholarship Program to retake Forms 3 and 4 (secondary school) would be beneficial. They believed in her potential to perform well, and this paid off. With ASEC’s support, Sr. Agnes was able to achieve some of the highest MCE scores among her entire class and was granted admission to the Catholic University of Malawi (CUNIMA). Now, through ASEC’s Higher Education for Sisters in Africa (HESA) program, Sr. Agnes is awaiting graduation from CUNIMA, earning a Bachelor’s of Education and specializing in special needs education. With this degree on the horizon, she is already serving as a Form 1 and 3 special needs teacher and office manager at Stella Maris Girls’ Secondary School.

Of her teaching practice, Sr. Agnes says, “Most of the time they are slow to learn things. So sometimes when I see that they haven’t understood, they did not catch well with their peers, then I always create time for them, one-to-one, so that they can have a better understanding of the concept for them to excel in their exams.” As the school’s office manager, she also continues to utilize the skills she acquired from SLDI.

Sr. Agnes recognizes the gift she has received from ASEC. She is one of a select number of sisters, 11 total, who have been allowed to not only participate in one ASEC program but three. Through her teaching ministry, she plans to give back the gift of education to girls who need the same encouragement and support she received. Given her history, she is in the unique position to do so, and it is guaranteed that she will put forth great effort to educate young women in her community, creating lasting positive change. This is just one example of how the ASEC Scholarship Program provides a bridge for sisters to achieve the higher education necessary to unlock their full potential.

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