Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and participatory development in basic education in Malawi

This article critically examines the extent to which one emerging NGO facilitates the participation of its beneficiaries and other stakeholders in the decision-making processes at the identification, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of basic education programmes in Malawi. The author argues that despite the comparative advantage of this NGO[1], the participation of their stakeholders, including local community members, is tokenistic as decisions are largely top-down. The author recommends that NGOs learn to relinquish their grip on power and develop confidence in their beneficiaries as well as other stakeholders.