USAID Announces $74 Million for Early Grade Reading in Malawi

The U.S. government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is supporting Malawi’s vision for early grade literacy through the new Next Generation (NextGen) early grade reading project. This investment of $74 million over the next five years, subject to appropriations, will improve the delivery of high-quality early grade reading instruction in all of Malawi’s over 5,700 public primary schools nationwide. Since 2015, the U.S. government has invested more than $136 million in Malawi’s early grade reading efforts.

USAID’s NextGen will partner with the Government of Malawi’s National Reading Program to provide young Malawians with the foundational skills necessary for a lifetime of reading and learning that will set them up for success in education and provide a pathway to healthier, informed, and productive lives. Ensuring that girls in particular have equal access to early primary reading instruction will establish foundations for a gender equitable future. NextGen will strengthen local, decentralized systems that bring governance, accountability, and oversight of education to local communities; dramatically increase the quality of reading instruction during early school years; strengthen the primary education system; and equip more than 160 schools with resource centers for students with disabilities.

The U.S. government is committed to supporting the Government of Malawi’s vision of providing every Malawian child with a quality education. NextGen will work side-by-side with the Ministry of Education to improve teacher performance in primary schools, support child-centered classroom practice by instructors, and increase the quality of caregiver support to pre-primary learners.