Citizen Alliance asks Malawi President to bail out needy students

Coalition of citizens and civil society groups locally known as Citizen Alliance has called upon the Malawi’s President Peter Mutharika who is also the Chancellor of the public universities to intervene and fully guide process of bailing out the needy students so that they complete their tertiary education to become independent and productive citizens for the country.

Edward Chileka Banda : Save students chased because of lack of tuition fees
Edward Chileka Banda : Save students chased because of lack of tuition fees

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday in the Capital City Lilongwe, Chair of the Citizen  Alliance, who is also executive Director of the Eye For Development, Edward Chileka Banda said it is unfortunate that most young people are dropping out of University due to school fees.

“We recommend that University Loan scheme should primarily target applicants from public
secondary schools the majority of which are from the less-privileged families and that Government should recapitalize the Education Loan scheme so that the needy students should quickly access the facility,”said Chileka Banda.

Banda said the drive to recover university loans must be sustained and supported by all.

Chileka called for the  general public, citizens and organizations, to kindly respond to the scholarship crisis as part of social and corporate responsibility.

“Citizen Alliance believes that, with collective action, the general public can help prevent the scholarship crisis from reaching disproportional levels, in the processing condemning many of our young people to vicious cycles of poverty.” said Banda.

Another member of the Alliance, Enock Phiri asked  parents and guardians to prioritize education of their children in their spending too at the time the economy is facing challenges.

“We believe that the private sector and leaders at all levels should also bail out some students that are at risk of withdrawing due to financial problems. We also ask the beneficiaries of the University loan scheme to repay their loans to help recapitalize the loan fund for the benefit of students who already need the similar facility,” said Phiri.

Recently media reported that 50 Percent of students dropout at Luanar while 300 students faces withdrawal due to economic hardship.

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Ze Roberto
Ze Roberto
7 years ago

I like and support the idea of determining the secondary school from which a student was selected to university as one of the criteria for identifying needy students. Much as others may disagree to this, certainly it’s naive for those who afforded private secondary education to jostle with those indigent students from public secondary schools for benefitting from the loan facility.

Tengupenya
Tengupenya
7 years ago

The depth of a well is known when the well dries up. These days, public safety nets have been replaced by private ones funded from stealing from and looting of the treasury through fraud. Those without access to stealing from the treasury perish! Now everyone has access providing one participates in shady contracts with government; provided one gets employment in the right department in government; providing one gets an appropriate political influence over civil servants who certify or authorize payments. It is theoretically available to everyone if you think carefully about how to loot!

Tengupenya
Tengupenya
7 years ago

Look guys and girls. A lot of students dropped out of primary school because of school fees. This has now shifted to university. We have to have a solid foundation for helping needy students by way of bursaries from the local authorities (District Councils) and the State (Student Loan Fund), and scholarships from the corporate world. How can we engage the corporate businesses for them to offer scholarships for university under-graduates? Surely they care about training successors to the employees they have at present? Now the problem of poor performing loans kills everything about loans in Malawi. We have a… Read more »

Wadidinkumphedza
Wadidinkumphedza
7 years ago

Coalition of citizens in Malawi, you are a big shame. We have a problem at hand but it can not be solved through discrimination of other citizens. Mind you university education is free to anybody in Malawi and what you are proposing is contrary to the norms of our education system. Those students you propose to be barred from accessing the loans, after their university education they will equally contribute to the development of the country just like anybody else. My advice is to ask this grouping to solicit funds to help needy students or come up with ideas that… Read more »

Chipi Banda
7 years ago

No student should indeed be withdrawn of grounds of school fees

Kuntaila
Kuntaila
7 years ago

When I was at College in the early 90’s we used to think the John Tembo’s were cruel people because we had not yet known cruelty. It is now that we appreciate that they were actually angels looking at how they took good care of us until we finished. Now the crooks running the affairs of Malawi are showing real cruelty, they have no remorse nor any iota how poor people feel, so cruel they are ready to have them withdraw from University so that they are condemned to perpetual poverty. DPP are brutes and fools. God remove them

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