The School Connectivity Landscape Analysis Report has revealed that 85.8 percent of schools in Malawi are without internet connectivity, while 46.9 percent lack electricity, exposing severe infrastructure gaps that continue to limit digital learning for millions of learners across the country.

The findings, covering 8,939 schools serving more than six million learners, were unveiled during a dissemination workshop in Lilongwe on Friday, where stakeholders warned that the scale of exclusion risks widening inequality between rural and urban learners if urgent action is not taken.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said the findings should push government and partners beyond planning into implementation, warning that connectivity without learning support will not transform education outcomes.

UNICEF Country Representative Dr. Penelope Campbell said digital access must be matched with classroom transformation.

“Connectivity alone does not improve learning,” she said. “It must be accompanied by strengthened teaching practices, teacher capacity, and accountability so that policies move from paper into action.”

Minister of Education, Science and Technology Bright Msaka described the report as a “wake-up call,” saying the data exposes structural inequalities that are holding back Malawi’s education system.

“These are not just infrastructure gaps, they are barriers to opportunity, equity, and national competitiveness,” Msaka said. “Too many of our learners are disconnected from the very world in which they are expected to compete and succeed.”

Msaka stressed that the findings, drawn from a nationwide assessment of school infrastructure, must trigger urgent reforms.

“Technology alone is not enough. Without power, connectivity, and trained teachers, we risk investing without impact,” he said.

Delivering a keynote address, Minister of Information and Communications Technology Shadric Namalomba said Malawi now has its first comprehensive national school connectivity baseline, covering 8,939 schools across all 34 education districts.

“For the first time, we are no longer working in the dark,” Namalomba said. “This baseline gives government precise data to plan, prioritise, and measure progress in connecting our schools.”

He warned that the findings confirm the urgency of the challenge.

“When 85.8 percent of schools remain offline, this is not a small gap,it is a national emergency for our digital future. We must move faster, smarter, and together,” he said.

Namalomba added that government will use real-time monitoring systems to track internet speed, reliability, and uptime in schools, enabling evidence-based rollout of connectivity infrastructure.

The initiative is being implemented under the Giga programme, a partnership between UNICEF and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which is supporting efforts to connect 2,000 additional schools and raise national school connectivity from 14 percent to 30 percent.

Working with the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA) and government ministries, the programme focuses on mapping schools, standardising connectivity models, and mobilising financing to close the rural-urban digital gap and expand access to digital learning nationwide.