Forum for African Women Educationalists in Malawi (FAWEMA) : The Agatha Uwilingiyimana Award for Innovators in Female Education.

• Assesses the impact of GABLE Programmes on improving girls' access to education Data for this work were collected by visiting the sites of the projects. These included Drama Troupes, Role Model Initiative, Theatre for Development and Kamuzu Academy. In brief, the lesson learned from these visits is that drama, role models, such as female teachers, doctors, radio announcers, etc. have had considerable and widespread impact within the school community, and the commitment of staff in most schools towards equality of education for both males and females and their efforts to ensure that those students who are less well-off should continue to have access to education.

Location: CSR, Centre for Social Research, box 278, Zomba, Malawi. Email;csr@malawi.net, csr@sdnp.org.mw, csrbasis@malawi.net

028 Davison, J. (1993)

School Attainment and Gender: Attitudes of Kenyan and Malawian Parents Towards Educating Girls.

This paper compares the attitudes of Kenyan and Malawian rural parents to educating girls, using perceptions of gender-specific academic potential, educational aspirations and opinions on the gender appropriateness of primary school subjects and various careers. Offers suggestions as to how these attitudes affect girls educational attainment. Discusses the ways that parent's attitudes affect girls' completion of primary school in Malawi and how the high wastage rate might be cut. Focusses on the linkages between family background, school attainment and gender. The study focuses on differential expectations of parents for their sons and daughters. In conclusion, the study shows that gender inequalities in school attainment, including opportunities for enrollment and retention, are attributable to multiple and often interrelated factors, such as cultural beliefs, parental need for child labour, low economic resources and parents assessment of their children's academic potential.

Location: CSR, Centre for Social Research, box 278, Zomba, Malawi. Email;csr@malawi.net, csr@sdnp.org.mw, csrbasis@malawi.net

Knowledge and Policy Formulation: Reducing Gender Inequalities in Education in sub-Saharan Africa: Malawi Case Study.

• The Study examined the extent to which research and other knowledge about gender and education have been utilized in formulating and implementing educational policies by both government and donor agencies. The main objective of the study was to examine the intellectual, political, educational and bureaucratic processes that have shaped government and donor policies and programmes aimed at improving the education of girls and women and identify potential obstacles in the implementation gender specific policies and programmes.

Location: CSR, Centre for Social Research, box 278, Zomba, Malawi. Email;csr@malawi.net, csr@sdnp.org.mw, csrbasis@malawi.net

Assessment of Manpower and Training Needs of Home Economics in Rural Women's Programmes.

• The study was conducted to determine the available manpower resources and training needs of home economics and other related programmes. The survey was conducted in units 23, 24 and 33 of the LRDP. Eight administrators and planners from various agencies directly involved in women's programmes and other related activities were interviewed. Home Economics field workers who taught women in the three units and women from the units were randomly selected to participate in the survey. A questionnaire, divided into three parts, was used to collect data for this survey. The majority of the workers in the units (56%) were Home Economics teachers. 34% were mobile workers, which included nurses and health assistants. Only 5% of the workers were farm home assistants from Ministry of Agriculture. Most of the workers deal directly with rural women, while the teachers deal with both primary school girls and the rural women. The level of education of the workers ranged from standard 8 to form 4. The homecraft workers had the lowest educational level. All the agencies provided pre-service training courses for their workers.

Location: BCA, Bunda College of Agriculture, P.O. Box 219, Lilongwe. Tel: 277 222,Fax 277 403, bundalibrary@unima.wn.opc.org,infortech@sdnp.org.mw

Education and Economic empowerment of Women: Factors affecting female education at Secondary And tertiary level as a means to women's economic empowerment.

• The Study investigated the education of females from a different angle. Examines the socio-economic and cultural factors girls face in school that hinder women from achieving economic empowerment. On drop-outs, the results of the study show that 80% of the drop-outs were female and 20% male and that the majority of the girls who dropped-out did not return to school. 37.7% of the respondents gave marriage as the main factor for girls' drop-outs, 29.3% said financial problems. Pregnancy was noted by 24.4% of the respondents, 17.1% voice lack of parental influence and guidance, 9.8% indicated that girls leave school to do business and 7.3% said the lack of female interest in school.

Location: CSR Centre for Social Research, box 278, Zomba, Malawi. Email;csr@malawi.net, csr@sdnp.org.mw, csrbasis@malawi.net

Adolescent Girls Literacy Project (AGLIT):Mid-term Evaluation Report.

• Presents findings of a mid-term evaluation which took place in Chikwawa between 25 and 29 of August, 2000. The objective of this evaluation was to gain an understanding of the process of project implementation and assess how this is assisting in meeting the overall goals of the project. In this evaluation, about half of the 41 villages covered by the project were assessed . Data for this activity were collected through key informant interviews and individual interviews with girls . There were 487 girls interviewed.

Location: CSR, Centre for Social Research, box 278, Zomba, Malawi. Email;csr@malawi.net, csr@sdnp.org.mw, csrbasis@malawi.net

AGLIT Baseline Report.

• Presents the findings of the Baseline Survey. It describes the research methodology, the findings from the village profiles and key informant interviews, focus group discussions. The many types of data in this report present a complex picture of life in its cultural and socio-economic context that hugely affect the project's functioning. The report indicates that village-specific data will assist in the identification of factors that influence the operation of the project in that village while the girl's individual test records will record individual changes which of course can be aggregated to give a picture of the overall operation of the project.

Location: CSR, Centre for Social Research, box 278, Zomba, Malawi. Email;csr@malawi.net, csr@sdnp.org.mw, csrbasis@malawi.net

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