CHRR condemns Chanco management for summoning student
Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR) says ut finds the summoning of leaders of the Student Union of the Chancellor College (SUCC), a constituent college of the University of Malawi (Unima), for disciplinary hearing by Chancellor College (Chanco) authorities, a serious threat to the country’s Constitution.
The eight including their president, Sylvester Ayuba James and general secretary Edward Chilenje will appear before the students’ disciplinary committee on August 22 at the college’s campus.
They are expected to answer to alleged misconduct and behaviour which brought the University into “disrepute, discredit the good name and prejudiced the peace, good order and good governance of the college.”
But CHRR said the summoning is misplace an also a serious threat to Section 35 and 38 if Malawi Constitution, which guarantees the right to freedom of expression and to assemble and demonstrate, respectively.
CHRR executive director Timothy Mtambi said in a statement that by summoning student leaders over the protests “ Chanco management risks demonstrating a balatant disregard for the constitutional rights of students leaders and the students who participated in the anti-fee hike protests.”
The college authorities have warned the students to unveil themselves at the hearing as failure to do so shall lead the committee into proceeding to hear the case in their absence and make all recommendations to the college Principal on the case.
The authorities have also advised the students to freely bring witnesses to the hearing.
Misunderstandings over the tuition fees started three months ago when the University of Malawi (Unima) Council raised tuition fees in its four constituent colleges from K55 000 and K275 000 at the Malawi Polytechnic, K380 000 at the Chancellor College, K340 000 Kamuzu College of Nursing and K500 000 for the College of Medicine and K900 000, 950 000 to K1.4 million for its mature students.
After a three hour discussion with President Peter Mutharika at Kamuzu palace in Lilongwe on August 4, the hiked fees was reduced by K50 000 across the board a thing which some students have described as a joke.
Timothy Mtambi “as nyasatimes has called you”, Freedom of expression and assembly should be exercised responsibly. Breaking other people’s property and school property is not part of constitutional right. Don’t cheat Malawians. The fact that they were teargassed does not justify their looting and property distruction. Just concentrate on your homosexuality issues
It must be freedom of expression but with responsibility/duty not to destroy property, make fires on tarmac roads, break cars, smoke pot and howl insults at innocent people. Some of the actions which our students perform during demonstrations are criminal in their nature. Let us learn to call things by their right names.
First of all the students breaks the law by destroying other peoples’ properties including destroying university property and if the students will not be answerable for this, who will be then? Please note that if justice will not preview on this then it will not be fare to summon the Police officer who physically abuse the students (which was reported so). Let every be answerable on his/her actions on the demonstrations not Police officers only.
Acts of boot-lickers at best!!!! What do you want them to explain???? This in its own is enough evidence that there is invisible hand behind your acts. Inutu its either mwatumidwa or mwaopsezedwaaaaaa?? You need to know that most parents can not afford soliciting such big sums of fees especially considering the poor prevailing economic conditions zomwe ambuyanu akulephera kupezera njira zothetsera!! Ngati inu mungathe sizikutanhauza kuti many of us can! Komanso do you think inuyo Kamuzu adakulipitsani that %age that time kapena mumkaimba ya ulere?? Ndiye mwaona inu munadutsa mwati bridge yomwe tadutsapoyi koma kuiwotcha kuti anawa angadutsenso!! Sincerely… Read more »
Iwe MTAMBO or Timothy MTAMBI, whichever name you call yourself..You must be an IDIOT to utter your nonsense..you want to defend these BOKO HARAMU idiots. Do you only defend that they had the right to assemble and destroy peace and harmony in Zomba because you are related to AYUBA???what about me that my business was also disturbed because of AYUBA ISIS. I too have a right to trade in this country without any disturbance. LET Administration expel all that took part in demo,
Chimpeni James so you want to tell us that the only argument you have on this topic is all about BOKO HARAMU and ISIS? you are an empty headed man.