Malawi to boost investment in science
Malawi’s newly re-elected president has promised increased investment in science as part of a plan to transform the country into a net exporter of goods and services.
Bingu wa Mutharika pledged in his inaugural speech on May 22 that he would prioritise science and technology along with other key areas including agriculture and food security; irrigation and water development; and environmental degradation.
Increased funding for science is widely expected in the 2009-10 budget, to be announced in the next fortnight. The increase will partly fund a new Commission of Science and Technology, which is expected to be established next month.
“Once the commission is established there will be no duplication of efforts on science and technology,” Alfred Maluwa, Malawi’s deputy director of science and technology, told SciDev.Net. “All the activities will be coordinated under the umbrella of the commission.”
Mutharika also emphasised continuing investment in tertiary education. He has appointed minister of local government and local development George Chaponda to the position of minister of education, science and technology in his 43-member cabinet.
“The next five years my government will continue to rehabilitate infrastructure development in education; provide better housing for teachers; and conduct a comprehensive review of the education, science and technology curriculum,” Mutharika said in his speech.
But Vernon Kabambe, a crop scientist at the Bunda College of Agriculture – a constituent college of the University of Malawi – said that funding for research activities at the university was suffering at the expense of money being channelled into tertiary education.
He called for a return of Malawi’s disbanded research fund, which rewarded researchers who made good research proposals. “where researchers would benefit depending on what research proposals with bright ideas were approved”.
The new government plans to diversify its power sources from hydropower to solar, wind and geothermal, and to intensify the rural electrification programme.
Agricultural science is also a priority, Mutharika said. He pledged to research and disseminate good farming practices, crops storage techniques and irrigation.
Meanwhile UNESCO is funding a review of the country’s 2003 science and technology policy to align it to the Malawi Growth Development Strategy.– SciDev.Net
Tagged with: Alfred Maluwa, Bingu, Bunda College, Chaponda, science, University of Malawi
This is a very welcome development, my brilliant President. It is my view that this policy will translate into more scientist and science teachers being trained by our universities.
Also, I hope this effort will mean reviewing and pririotizing the scientific needs of the country. And where the country lacks internal expertise, I hope the country will be sober enough to start selective recruitment of expertriates until we are satisfied that the indigenous human capacity is developed.
Research in the university is a good thing. But I think our universities are so detached from the industies and the general population for them to understand the needs of the industry. Their research is only known within university cooridors and scientific fora. Hey, can we have meaningful research in these university.
Actually, the university does not have to rely on government if they had good rapport with the industry. The industry can be a good source of money for research if the university was coming up with tangible research. There are so many needs that the industry has but they do not have much trust in our university for them to invest money into projects.
hei, how does investiment in “science” translate into investiment in “science and technology”.
The distinction between science, engineering and technology is not always clear. Science is the reasoned investigation or study of phenomena, aimed at discovering principles among elements of the a world that is not well understood.
Technologies may or may not be products of science, because they have to satisfy requirements such as utility, usability and safety.
Engineering is the process of designing and making tools and systems utilise natural systems for human utility using scientific principles.
Technology is often a result of science and engineering.
OKamzangaza, Your definition of engineering already has science in it (…scientific principles.). From your perspective then “Technology is a result of engineering” which also implies that technology is not a product of science but of engineering.
From my understanding, investing in science will inevitable lead to investing in technology. This is because good understanding of scientific principles should lead to development of better innovations in technology.
za university of technology ku lilongwe zayamba kuyiwarika stopano unalinyera bodza pamenepanja,utanama umayiwara
University of Malawi is stagnant. either somebody is too dull for the post or just old and need retirement or he doesnt know what to do. How come Mzuni started few years ago with little resources has almost equal number of students as UNIMA. Something is wrong somewhere.
Mechnical engineering is almost dead at Polytechnic.
Poly should relinquish the responsibility training of training technicians to technical colleges. Lilongwe Technical College has the capacity, and in fact is better equipped than Poly. Poly should leave certificate courses to smaller colleges and concentrate on degree training. The love for money is consuming Poly!!!
Odara, the Sci-Tech varsity in LL is developing. Last month they advertised in local newspapers for scholarships to people who want to be lecturers there once they complete the Masters/PHD. If you were in Malawi, you would have applied. So IT WAS NOT A LIE.
VUTO: Whatever the President says, the civil servants responsible for controlling gov finances do not appreciate science but economics, so nothing will happen.
Yes my visionary president, we cannot be a producing and exporting exporting nation unless we emphasize on sci & tech. Its time that sci & tech is a matter of priority in schools, colleges and our siblings – thanks God LUSTECH is finally here!!!
I dont see any sense in opening up the so – called LL university of tech when other institutions that offer the same stuff are suffering.Recently iwas shocked at hearing the number of physics textbooks poly has which are being used by all science students at poly from year one up to 5.IT IS WHEN I REALLY DISCOVERED that the GVT is negligent.How can the whore government fail to purchase even a muncuster textbook? this is why some students at poly resort to encroaching the college of medicine for books.Intead for the GVT to open up the new instution it would have been better if it used the money for boosting the already existing but ailing universities.
This is really what we want in Malawi and its in line to development. This is what I have always said Malawi, WE are to develop. GOD is with us , HE has hearld our cry and this is the start of it now.
I agree with Vernon Kabambe, now a president you need to empower these Uni`s and colleges with funds. It really encourages, even to make a special recognisiton on such people who researches or brings to light any of useful innovation. We have learned engineers, mechanics, chemists in this coutry. See what happens all just go to look for employment could take a courage to develop something , out of our own resources and we save in importing abroad. God didn`t make that things has only to be made in China, Uk US. Thats why we are taken advantage of . We want this to change. We can modify these motors into something for planting maize or opther seeds. PLZ !!! Mr president help to honour such people , it will HELP US Malawians. MAY GOD BLESS YOU MR PRESIDENT AND OUR LAND MALAWI.
Do malawi have engineers?The poly have been there for decades but we have never heard any engineering student making a breakthrough by coming up with an idea that would help the local malawian.Engineer wokanika ndikupanga njinga yakapalasa yomwe ntchito kuloweza ma scientific equations like ma poem…not practical..chimodzimodzi ndi Bunda …njala yosatha malawi.At least Kamuzu used to send some agric advisors mu mizi kuphunzitsa njira za malimidwe abwino.Nthawi zonse ma excuse ndi ma resources kulibe with no brains of creativity.Ntchito kuphwasula magalimoto ndima tv amene anapanga anzanu mu japan,china us ndipo ndikumakanika kubwezeleza zinthuzo mwalo mwake.Our education system is very obsolete…we are 1 million years to compete with our western counteparts…probably try to boost up these technical colleges in Malawi.Our education system is very backward.