By Patience Longwe

Lilongwe, March 7, Mana: Chairperson for the NGO Coalition on Child Rights, Desmond Mhango has identified significant gaps in the national budget that threaten the well-being of children.

Speaking during a meeting with Social and Community Affairs and Local Authorities Cluster on Saturday at Crossroads Hotel in Lilongwe, Mhango said despite the budget increase, there are discrepancies between the actual allocations and estimated needs.

"We have seen gaps in terms of child protection and education, the budget for Early Childhood Development (ECD) is inadequate, and primary education, which is supposed to be free, still imposes user fees," he said.

Mhango also emphasized that they expect Members of Parliament (MP) to understand the context of their analysis and consider the identified gaps when reviewing budget allocations.

"We hope they will prioritize the best interests of the child and make necessary adjustments to the budget," Mhango said.

He therefore urged government to address these gaps and ensure that the budget aligns with the needs of Malawi's children by doing so; Malawi can work towards a brighter future for all its citizens.

Chairperson for Social and Community Affairs and Local Authorities Savel Kafwafwa advocated for a significant increase in the national budget for inclusive education, he noted that the current budget allocation for inclusive education is only about 1% of the total education budget, which is insufficient to cater to the needs of students with special needs.

He also emphasized that government needs to prioritize the education of marginalized and vulnerable groups such as students with disabilities.

"We would like to see the inclusive budget appear clearly as its own budget line and ensure that the money reaches students with special needs," he said.

Kafwafwa highlighted the importance of supporting institutions run by Christian organizations and non-governmental organizations that provide education to students with special needs.

"These institutions were previously dependent on donors, but due to donor fatigue they are now struggling to survive,” he said.

Meanwhile, Speaker for Mzimba South in the Children’s Parliament, Rachel Nguluwe has called upon government to prioritize the needs of children in Malawi.

She said the current budget allocation for education and child protection is insufficient, particularly for children with disabilities.

"We need more investment and focus from the government on issues such as child protection, education, inclusive education, and climate change, the Malawi 2063 vision is for the future generation not just for us adults" She stated.

Nguluwe highlighted the lack of a clear budget line for inclusive education, making it difficult to analyse the budget and ensure that funds are being allocated efficiently.

The activity was supported by Norad, through the Tikuma project and brought on board child rights Actors including the Joining Forces Alliance, World Vision, Plan and Save the Children and was coordinated by the NGO coalition on Child Rights, Children Engaged Parliamentary, Committee on Social and Community Affairs.