Assessing Practitioner and Infrastructure Capacity for Inclusive Early Childhood Development Education in ECDE Centres in Lilongwe Urban, West and East, Malawi

Abstract

Inclusive Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) is fundamental to equitable access to learning and holistic child development. Although Malawi has established policy commitments to inclusive education, evidence regarding the capacity of ECDE practitioners and learning environments to implement inclusive education remains limited. This study assessed practitioner and infrastructural capacity for inclusive education in ECDE centres in Lilongwe Urban, Lilongwe West and Lilongwe East, Malawi. The study employed an exploratory case study design (Yin, 2018) combining qualitative interviews and focus group discussions with structured, descriptive quantitative observation of infrastructure. Data were collected from 152 participants across 34 semi-structured interviews and six focus group discussions, together with structured observation of infrastructure in 34 ECDE centres. Interview and focus group data were analysed thematically following Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-phase framework, while observational data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Findings indicate substantial gaps in practitioner preparation and infrastructural capacity. More than half of participants (56.6%) held only Primary School Leaving Certificate or Junior Certificate of Education qualifications, and formal inclusive-education training was limited, short-term and unevenly distributed. Despite this, 88% of practitioners expressed positive attitudes toward inclusion. Infrastructure assessments revealed severe accessibility barriers: only 20.6% of centres had ramps, 11.8% had disability-friendly toilets, and 8.8% had signage or grab bars. Only 14.7% of centres had adequate inclusive learning materials. Inclusive ECDE implementation in Lilongwe is constrained not by unwillingness but by a capacity-commitment gap, in which practitioners’ positive attitudes toward inclusion consistently outpace the training, resources and infrastructure needed to translate those attitudes into inclusive practice. Strengthening inclusive ECDE requires coordinated investment in competency-based practitioner development, progressive accessibility standards, inclusive learning materials, mentorship and multisectoral monitoring.