The thought that i could continue with school got lost: a qualitative exploration of the impact of COVID-19 on the education and sexual and reproductive health of Malawi youth.
Togo E, Mwase-Vuma T, et al. • Reproductive health • 2025
COVID-19 school closures and associated disruptions in Malawi led to lost motivation to learn, increased teenage pregnancy, early marriage, sex work among female students, and financial barriers to school re-enrollment, with lasting effects on educational quality and outcomes.
Key Findings
Results
Both male and female students lost motivation to continue their education during COVID-19 related school closures and teacher strikes.
The title quote 'the thought that I could continue with school got lost' reflects the pervasive loss of educational motivation reported by participants.
School closures were compounded by teacher strikes, creating prolonged disruptions to learning.
Data were collected through focus group discussions and key informant interviews in both rural and urban areas of Malawi.
Participants included primary and secondary school students, caregivers, teachers, and community leaders.
Results
Female students experienced increased rates of pregnancy, early marriage, and engagement in sex work during COVID-19 school closures.
Participants reported that some female students became pregnant during the period of school closures.
Early marriage was identified as an outcome affecting female students during the pandemic period.
Sex work was reported as a coping mechanism some female students engaged in 'to make ends meet.'
These outcomes were identified as further hindering female students' ability to return to or continue education.
Results
Increased financial barriers prevented some families from sending children back to school after COVID-19 closures ended.
Participants reported higher financial obstacles to school re-enrollment when schools reopened following closures.
The study was conducted in the context of an evaluation of the 'Secondary Education Expansion for Development' project.
Both rural and urban participants reported experiencing financial barriers, suggesting the issue was widespread across settings.
Results
Educational quality declined after school reopening, with reports of lower grades and poorer quality of teaching.
Participants reported that students achieved lower grades following the period of school closures.
Teaching quality was perceived to have declined in the post-closure period.
These academic and instructional declines were reported alongside the motivational losses experienced during closures.
Methods
The study used qualitative methods drawn from an evaluation of the Secondary Education Expansion for Development project in Malawi.
Data collection methods included focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs).
Participants were drawn from multiple stakeholder groups: primary and secondary school students, caregivers, teachers, and community leaders.
Data were collected across both rural and urban areas of Malawi.
The study design was explicitly qualitative and exploratory in nature.
Conclusions
The findings highlight the need for community- and policy-level strategies to protect students from disruptions to schooling and associated negative reproductive health outcomes.
Authors call for strategies to 'mitigate interruptions to students' schooling' in future pandemic or crisis contexts.
Specific outcomes identified as targets for mitigation include pregnancy and early marriage.
The study frames these findings as informing both community-level and policymaker responses to future pandemic needs.
The authors note the importance of understanding pandemic repercussions 'so that policymakers can better mitigate negative outcomes and address future pandemic needs.'
What This Means
This research examined how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the schooling and sexual and reproductive health of young people in Malawi. Using interviews and group discussions with students, parents, teachers, and community leaders in both rural and urban areas, the researchers found that school closures — made worse by teacher strikes — caused many students, both boys and girls, to lose their drive to continue their education. The disruption created conditions where returning to school felt difficult or impossible for many youth.
The findings paint a particularly concerning picture for girls and young women. During the closures, some became pregnant, entered into early marriages, or engaged in sex work to survive financially. When schools eventually reopened, families faced increased financial hardship in paying for their children to return, and the quality of education had deteriorated — students received lower grades and teachers were reported to be providing lower quality instruction than before the pandemic.
This research suggests that health and education crises like COVID-19 can have cascading effects on young people's lives that go well beyond missing class time, particularly for girls who face heightened risks of pregnancy and early marriage when out of school. The authors argue that communities and policymakers need concrete strategies in place to protect students — especially girls — during future school disruptions, and to address the financial and motivational barriers that prevent youth from returning to and staying in school.
Togo E, Mwase-Vuma T, Thakwalakwa C, Millar E, Markiewicz M, Kadzamira E, et al.. (2025). The thought that i could continue with school got lost: a qualitative exploration of the impact of COVID-19 on the education and sexual and reproductive health of Malawi youth.. Reproductive health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12978-025-01972-9