There seems to be a gap in the literature on girls’ academic achievement whilst learning in boys boarding facilities secondary schools in Malawi. This paper addresses this issue by reviewing the Malawi School Certificate of Education examinations pass rate and the public University selection from 2010 to 2019 among girls selected in boys boarding facilities schools in Central West Education. The study was aligned to the current Education Strategy 2020 learning for all in contrast to education for all. Learning for all is about students acquiring knowledge and skills for their survival at work and in life. The action research case study wanted to establish whether girls boarding facilities needed to be provided in boys boarding facilities secondary schools.
This study adopted a multi-method approach utilizing formal interviews, official statistical records, focus group discussions, and questionnaires. There were 102 participants comprising female students, teachers, head teachers, and policy makers. Data were analyzed to map a broad trend in girls’ achievements from 2010 to 2019 that were selected in boys boarding facilities schools.
The results of this study showed that 67.38 % of the girls enrolled in district boarding facilities schools passed the Malawi School Certificate of Education Examinations, compared to 60.4 % of the girls enrolled as day students in boys boarding facilities schools. Further findings showed that district boarding schools had 11.3 % public university selection rate compared to 7.3 % for boys boarding facility schools. Participants identified school differentiation as the primary cause of the low MSCE examination pass rate and poor public university selection among girls in boys boarding facilities schools. The study contributes to discussions on how to consider and incorporate students’ perspectives into developing practical applications to address academic gaps between girls in district boarding schools and girls in boys boarding facilities secondary schools.
According to the research, residential facilities for girls in schools with boarding facilities for boys are necessary for encouraging girls to invest more time and effort in their studies. Further studies are required to investigate additional educational outcomes, including employment and other areas of the students’ lives, after they have gone through the two school systems.