Three years after the operationalisation of the Teachers’ Council of Malawi (TCM), thousands of educators across public and private schools remain unlicensed—raising concerns over compliance and the quality of education. According to the Ministry of Education, Malawi has over 100 000 primary school teachers and 18 000 secondary school teachers. However, TCM registrar Grace Chakwera recently disclosed that only 72 313 primary school teachers and 16 122 secondary school teachers have been registered to date. Teachers Union of Malawi (TUM) secretary general Charles Kumchenga confirmed that some of the union’s members remain unlicensed. He urged the Ministry and TCM to strengthen compliance mechanisms, including linking school licensing to proof of employing registered teachers.