CEO for Chartered Accountants in Malawi aggrieved by Professor Chirwa’s assertion on ‘fake’ PhD
Institute of Chartered Accountants in Malawi (ICAM) chief executive officer (CEO), Dr Francis Chinjoka Gondwe says he is aggrieved by allegation made by Malawian law Professor Danwood Chirwa on social media that asserts that Gondwe’s doctoral degree in Business Administration obtained through Columbia Commonwealth University in 2011 is ‘fake’.
Chirwa, who is Professor and Dean of Law at the University of Cape Town, posted on Facebook on Sunday alleging that Columbia Commonwealth University is a ‘diploma mill’ and that “there are lecturers from Chancellor College and the Polytechnic who participated in the fraud that this institution is and has always been”.
He asks: “Did the two colleges give permission to these individuals to participate in the fraud?
“Secondly, to you chartered accountants of Malawi: could you provide information on where the CEO of your Institute of Chartered Accountants of Malawi got his PhD? Further questions will follow from the answer you give.”
But according to records, Government duly accredited Columbia Commonwealth University in 2001 through National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), which was established by an Act of Parliament under sections 28 and 29.
The Government records also show that the said university was deregistered in 2018 owing to governance issues “for failure to carry out its objectives and not carrying out its functions properly”.
“This order shall not affect the validity of any certificate, diploma, degree or other academic qualifications conferred or awarded prior to 29th October, 2018,” says the Gazette that was filed by the then Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Bright Msaka.
When contacted, Gondwe confirmed that he indeed graduated from Columbia Commonwealth University in 2011 with a doctoral degree in Business Administration with strategic management as his area of concentration.
He said it was unfortunate that “the good Professor is making such wild allegation” but declined to comment further as he currently has sought legal counsel on the matter that he hinted borders on defamation.
However, when contacted Prof. Chirwa maintained that the issue is not whether Gondwe has a certificate or not but “rather whether he got it from a diploma mill”.
“These are institutions created to exploit regulatory gaps in higher education with the further intention to make a mockery of higher education and to profit from such mockery,” he said.
“CCU is known throughout the world to be a fake university. This man who heads ICAM should be able to distinguish between a fake institution and a genuine one.
“He chose to participate in the fraud and benefited financially from it. He has also misled people into thinking he holds a credible degree — he does not.
“That CCU managed to gain registration and got accreditation at some point doesn’t vindicate him. Rather it provides evidence of possible corruption.
“The Ministry of Education and the people involved in this fiasco have to provide information of what standards they applied and review they conducted.”
He challenged Gondwe to sue him in court, saying he is ready to “defend higher education in the courts of law” [and that] “such a suit will effectively be between those who make a mockery of higher education and defenders of the integrity of higher education”.
He also maintains that he has not just targeted Gondwe alone but “all who have fake degrees,”
“This cartel of diploma fraud involves multiple players including regulators, profiteers and gullible individuals. For young undergraduate students who don’t know, they can be excused but for those with some level of education, their intention is to profit from the misrepresentation of their credentials.
“Gondwe leads an important professional organization. It cannot be headed by someone who has questionable qualifications — that is disqualifying in any credible accounting regulatory body.
“But Malawi is led by questionable characters all the time,” Chirwa said.
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He is very right.
Mr Gondwe just accept that your qualification from Columbia Commonwealth University is not acceptable by many of us who know what PhD training and research demands. So just drop it and move on. You can use your Masters which is already close to PhD.
Substance over form please! The University was deregistered in 2018 for governance issues but the validity of certificates issued before this date were not affected! This is just political expediency. The decision to deregister was not based on events post deregistration date but pre and the same certificates issued pre deregistration are valid? Only gullibles will buy this. Legally the certificates are valid but in substance they are invalid!
The only qualification no one will question is to gain through a professional course such as CIMA, ACA, ACCA, CFA etc. PhD is mostly copy and paste from Google (zaanthu ouma mitu) so long as you edit the contents to your own words to avoid plagiarism. Why bother about a PhD anyway.
Let’s focus on some developments that will benefit our families and Malawi not PhD this PhD that…..demonstrate your skills and avoid corruption.
Prof.D Chilwa anaziona komweko 2014 kutsikammusi
ANC inapezeka ndimunthu yemwe amati ali ndi PhD kwa zaka ndi position yabwino muchipanicho
Zitaululika
anapepesa ndikutula pansi udindo
ndipo dziko linakhala chete
Anali olimbikila komanso ochenjera mu ANC yonse
PhD is a responsibility. PhD as a responsibility means a ” Promotion to be Humble and Diligent” Unfortunately in Malawi, PhD is regarded as a title. This is why many use all sort of shortcuts to get it. If you obtain a PhD from a reputable university, why someone should question you! You only get worried, if your PhD is from Mombera University. This a tip of an iceberg. NCHE needs to do an audit of these bogus PhD holders who do not even no a Theoretical Framework
There was no Council for Higher Education in 2001 in Malawi (NCHE). This university is a bogus university, no question about it.
I think the so called professor has a problem. One a creditation takes a lot like quality of lecturers, library and other things. These includes affliations. Has the learned professor wondered why seminaries and theological colleges offer recognised degrees? On recognition in countries every country has it’s relevant courses.
DPP Led administration full of corruption and shithole look mpaka registering fake university kkkkkk eeeeesh koma dhiphwiphwiphwi.
Prof. Danwood Chirwa, are you telling us now that Dr Francis C.Gondwe uses a FAKE degree at ICAM????? I did not know.
Now you know
Kkkikikikk khwiyaaa Prof Chirwa. Komansotu PhD ya Arafat Hamdan Chilima imadzandikayikitsa 2 minutes ina yake. Nanga munthu kungovumbuluka ali ndi PhD mmanja?
Kenako timvanso kuti winiko alinayo PhD hhhhaaa! PhD ya Baby chilima ifufuzidwe ndithu. Manganya too. The fake accent Chakwera too.
KKKKKKK, Prof Chirwa you will help the government of your land. please keep it up man.
I need one too.
Me too, if it is that easy to get howcome every Jim and Jack in town does not have it
Institute of Chartered accountants (ICAM) is a very reliable member of National council of higher education {NCHE} DURING ACCREDITATION OF INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION
IN MALAWI ESPECIALLY ACCOUNTING COURSES AND BUSINESS MANAGEMENT. BUT TO BE HEADED BY A PERSON WHO HOLDS DR FROM UNACCREDITED INSTITUTION IS VERY SHAMEFUL TO OUR NATION.
This is an error. Prof. Chirwa is very correct.
Even if he didn’t have the PhD he is already a Chartered Accountant and he holds an MBA ,A Malawi muzafa ndi Nsanje eish
He should just withdrawl the Dr. Thing. His experience would be pertinent for this post. Its such a shame to glue oneself to Universities that remain questionable.
Prof Danwood Chirwa sees what most of us cannot see.He is a Genius
That’s correct! But he can not see what even the University of Malawi is not recognised to some other Countries! I bet you, with this fight of Mr Chirwa he has brought, will affect many young Malawians who are doing school now to be recognised by other Countries!
Prof Chirwa is wrong here. The fault is not with the people who got the qualifications from this University while it was Registered by the Education Authorities in Malawi. The fault is with the people who registered this Education Institution to award these qualifications. Malawi at the moment has over 30 Universities whose standard of the degrees may be questionable. People are so obsessed with having a degree when there are no jobs to be had with these degrees.
Wina ndi Dr. Thom.
Wadada Gongwe mwachitika vichi? From a reputable Accountancy to an unaccredited Columbia university. No good. Obsession with Titles😀🔥
Kodi zinthunzi nza fake? Thanks for info Dan wood. ..will join the case as friends of credible higher education
This is a shameful thing to learn that the numerous PhDs we see are shopped. Not surprising because they say “For a fish to be rotten, the rot starts from the head”. Actually what is happening is like a blind person leading the blind.
What Prof. Danwood Chirwa is doing to the Malawi nation is a great service which actually should ably have been carriedout by institutions of higher learning in the country. Unfortunately, those heading such institutions are also corrupt. So how can a corrupt gang check fellow corruptees? When these checks are instituted, the first people to explain should be the President and his Vice; yes it is said lead by examples. After that the rest can follow. Osamangochenjera pa nsanja pokha ai mukaima patsogolo pa mbuli zinzanu.
I support Prof. Chirwa . We need sanity in the institutions of learning. It is not easy to get a PhD. It takes hard work to earn this letter. Malawi we have come a laughing stock. People used to take2years outside studying to have a PhD. Today, no, all we hear so and so are PhD holders. Well , they cannot even apply jobs on the world market. Let there be sanity. All fake holders should be listed. From Diploma to PhD please Prof Chirwa, bring out the list.
Chifukwa munthu yemwe adafika pa level yot Ali ndi certificate in chakutichakut Kaya Ali ndi madegrees Kaya PHDS Kaya ndi a professor,amaganiza bho osati achina Peter Munthalika and Ben Phiri,ayi Ben Phiri was even choosen to be a minister of local government with fake papers really kkkkkkkkk.Peter Munthalika was fake too.Ndimadabwa anthu aza fake kukonda Kuba.Why Malawi this behaviour of Malawi has more people with fake qualifications especially anzathu achuma wa.Government should look into this as quickly as possible.Fake people with fake papers are stealing public money.
I think you are insane because any reasonable person with a sound brain cannot reach an extent of calling Peter holding a fake qualification. U shd have been proud of such people who have been employed in highly industralised country like USA beacuse of their credible papers.Check on his career path and you will immediately stop talking your nonsense. Mudziwerenga dont just rush in uttering stupid things on this forum,do your research properly. mxieew!!!
He has demonstrated below average, he is not an academic based on his performance, useless professor who failed to demonstrate that he was indeed in USA, education system is not papers but results, the guy proved beyond reasonable doubt that he was clueless on everything, don’t glorify mediocrity if at all you had been to school
If you want to check on Mutharika, google has answers for you. You will even read his publications. He is not ignoramus as you are Malawi belong to the citizens. He was even on the list of best educated president in Africa.
Ziyambanani, Coronavirus ikuthibula, by the way Mr Chirwa, mubwela liti kumudzi kuno? Osakhala Dean of law pa Facebook Wawa! Tadzaoneni mmene azanu akuvutikila kulongosola Dziko. Bwelani osamanguloza ma phinziro ya azanu, Malawians will be led by questionable characters because you are a refugee in other country Mr Chirwa! Come home ngati mudzalimbe.
Thanks Professor Danwood Chirwa. Ine ndimadabwa kuti zoona mpaka Dr Ussi, Dr Zikhale Ng’oma, Dr Lazalo Chakwela, Dr Saulos Chilima, Dr Patricia Kaliati. Udokotala waphwekadi!!!
Chirwa’s is making a very serious allegation about the whole Malawi Ministry of Education. Columbia Commonwealth University is real. The facts are the ones contained in the above story. The Ministry of Education needs to sue Chirwa for turnishing it’s image.
Malawi is at most times led by questionable characters. There was Muluzi who sought an honorary PhD, then next minutes Muluzi entered the league of PhD holders. Then it was also believed that Bingu had his PhD from some diploma mill, JB joined the fray. There was also a time one Peter Mitunda who was just squandering money from University of Malawi under the guise of studying from PhD. As he was not attending these studies, he never had a PhD. Alas, guess what, Malawi being Malawi he came back gun blazing that he has now a PhD and is Dr Peter Mitunda. He even duped the university. It took somebody to say that Peter Mitunda never attained a PhD in UK. It was at that moment that the truth came to a fore. The title and benefits that go with it in the university system were forthwith dropped. This just goes to explain how rotten are our systems. Education standards need to be sanitized in Malawi.
100% am with professor DanWood Chirwa let’s get rid of people with fake degree because they are the ones bringing down our country .
They are the architect of corruption in the academic field and they take it to their employment places respectively .
Bring more names pa mbalambanda Dan , the likes of Ben Phiri university of Jerusalem and a team .
Kumene ma pepala ambiri akunyada nawo anthu mtown ndi osadziwika bwinobwino.Komaso Prof Chirwa mwabweletsa mpungwepungwe wama qualification
Professor Chirwa is right. Osamaphweketsa ma qualification ayi. People work hard for these qualifications. There is no way a university without premises, without research facilities can be dishing out PhDs and Masters like what this Columbia thing was doing. Fotseki
When you you are fighting cadets that’s what happens, but they a long way to go,you would the self claimed intelligent said nothing during Dpp era nor did he come out and talk.
It’s very unfortunate that everyone guy wants to be Dr/professor,can the big guys with big titles show us what you have done for Malawi, you just want to be too boring with titles ?us what’s the benefit ?professor !mayfoot
Musatinyasepo ndi ma titles anu opanda phindu,beanie simunawuulule kubedwa kwa ndilama za a amalawi osauka lero mutinyase ndine dokotala ndine polofesa za mtii to hell with ur useless titles. Mukumbana zopusa instead of congratulating those who have changed Malawi.
Why r u hiding in other pipos country,?come here with ur polofesa shd show Malawians u r v polofesa
Inu ndiye bola muknangolemba mu Chichewa, mwina zikanakuchitirani ubwino. You are commenting on issues concerning education and you use broken English? Shame on you!
I also agree with Professor Chirwa. People with fishy degrees have nothing to do in our public institutions. Even if a university is credible, there is still the problem of plagiarism!
As I know many high ranking officials, up to Minister lost their position and destroyed their political and private reputation! Sombody have to check this before we have a crook in a leading position!
Bwana Gondwe khalani chete. Dzina lanu ndi labwino kwambiri; muli pa mpando wabwino zedi koma apa repair your ignorance at; http://www.google.com. get answers about fake qualification. what are you trying to achieve by arguing; anzanu akabisala pano. . i know a colleague to left this PhD at this university after some semesters because he was not impressed.
All degrees including PhDs from Columbia Commonwealth University are FAKE. Anyone who has such a degree is a FRAUDSTER.
Instead of feeling sad, the last sentence made me laugh really laud hahahahah this guy mara why?
Chakwera alibe papers!
Its about Mr Mr Lazarus Chakwera
I am with the prof 100%. This is a very dodgy university. The one in California by the same name ain’t worth a penny! Just google it up. I am willing to bet Gondwe ain’t suing anybody over this issue. If I was him, I would have very quietly dropped the title “Dr.” from my name.
Anyways, one should be very suspicious of institutions offering online PhDs.
Chirwa wautsa mapili pachigwa,. Shaaaa I thought it was only daud sulemani, bendulo, Ben Phiri and bwana inspector General of police who hold distinctions from bwalo la njobvu.
I remember during the concourt case, lawyer mbeta asked sulemani to pull out his transcript of some degrees kunali palapalapala bwana IT kukanika.
Shame. But so long as employers still prefer degree holders then forever fake colleges will make money. So many people, even DR reforms and senior party colleagues khala ngati all attended through the window, very suspicious PhD in marketing.?
It was wrong to ask for a Transcript in that case, becoz what is a transcript? Is it a qualification ? No it is not the question was just asked for no reason at all. A transcript shows grades against each subject and may not be readily available unless asked for by the graduate when it is asked for. Other Universities give a transcript on request for a fee or free of charge whilst the will give you the degree or diploma outright. Other Universities give you the qualification at the time of giving you the qualification. It is normally required when you are applying in many Universities when you want to undertake further courses or determine if you qualify for the program you are applying for , not validate of the qualification.
Correction giving transcript at time of giving qualification
Sorry to disappoint you, but a lot of computer and IT know how is natural intelligence and most of the times not taught. You have teenagers not old enough to go to college running circles around educated masses when it comes to computers.
Mwangokhala ndi sanje naye Suleman Wawa, Lawyer wanuyo anawina milandu yanuyo? Zinazi sizifunaso maphuziro koma chilungamo chimakwanila, bwanji upusa kumeneku? Ndani pano angakhale ndi ntchito yotchedwa Professor or what ever in this world? Iyaaa! Wina ndi uyo ali ku Mangochi,or kwawo anakuiwala koma ndi Professor, zamanyazi!