The Influence Of Teacher-student Ratio To Educational Quality

It has been observed that since the introduction of Free Primary Education in1994 in Malawi,there has been a tremendous increase in student enrolment and this has led to an increase in Student teacher ratio especially in public school;therefore,this study seeks to explore the influence of teacher student ratio to educational quality in Malawi by comparing with the standards of Chinese primary school set up.To undertake this study,an analysis was done in four primary schools in Malawi and three other schools in China using both quantitative and qualitative methods.This analysis was based in primary schools within the Chimutu Zone in Lilongwe city in Malawi and some schools within Shanghai in China.It was noted through the study that a lot of public primary schools in Malawi have a high student teacher ratio which is beyond the recommended standard ratio due to high enrolments against the number of teachers employed to work in the schools of which that is not the case in China.The study find that,unlike in China where quality in education is excellent,in Malawi the quality of education has dwindled,with a lot of schools facing challenges such as being understaffed,insufficient resources of which has also contributed to an increase in students dropping out of school.Upon realizing that primary education plays a huge role in an individual growth into a productive citizen as well as in the development of the nation at large,this study demonstrates that high student teacher ratio results in a situation in which learning and teaching is compromised and affected to the extent that learners receive an education which is below standards.The study suggests that a reduced or recommended standard of student teacher ratio can result in effective learning and also improve the standards and quality of education in Malawi.