Rev Nyondo faults DPP on quota system

The CCAP Synod of Livingstonia has faulted the DDP led government for failing to adhere to its promise to abolish the controversial  education quota system, saying it is denying ‘deserving’ students a place in the country’s public universities.

This development follows the announcement by Ministry of Education on Friday last week that it will maintain the system in the 2014/2015 academic year upon releasing names of 1,909 successful students selected to start various programmes at the University of Malawi (UNIMA) and the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANA).

Speaking in an interview with Nyasa Times Tuesday, General Secretary for the Synod, Reverend Dr Levi Nyondo, said the Synod is eagerly waiting for the day when the system will be completely abolished, because the issue was in the party’s manifesto.

“The current government clearly in the Name of the Father, Son and The Holy Spirit stipulated in its manifesto before the May 20 Tripartite elections that it will abolish the system once elected into power. So the CCAP Synod of Livingstonia is still eagerly waiting for the day to come,”   Nyondo said.

In his remarks, Deputy Minister of Education Science and Technology Vincent Ghambi, said the only way to deal with the quota system is by building more universities in the country.

He assured the Synod that government will take the matter into consideration, adding that it will build more universities to provide a conducive environment for each and every student who qualifies to go to university to have access to tertiary education.

“The quota system has been a long standing issue. As government we are doing everything possible to put it to a halt, but the only best way to do it is by constructing more universities of which the DPP government has started doing that already.

“There is quota system because the country does not have enough universities. If we introduce more universities it means the intake of students into the universities will increase, and quota system surely will be the issue of the past,” said Ghambi.

Quota system, which selects students into the country’s public universities based on merit, was first used during the one party era, but was abolished during Bakili Muluzi’s regime before being reinstated by the late former president, Bingu Wa Mutharika.