Primary education in Malawi is ostensibly free, but there are still many issues which can lead to children not completing their basic education:

• poverty can require the child to drop out of education so they can work and provide money for their family
• the death of parents due to HIV and AIDS can require a child to drop out of education so they can look after their siblings
• although the education is free, there are still costs involved in attending school, such as the purchase of uniforms and scholastic materials
• there is an unfortunately high incidence of physical and emotional abuse at schools, from both teachers and fellow pupils, so some children are too scared to return to school