Education experts hail Mutharika for endorsing University of Malawi delinking

Education experts have hailed President Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika for approving the de-linking of the constituent colleges from the University of Malawi (UNIMA), sayung  that would resolve long-standing governance and bureaucratic challenges.

President Mutharika: Excellent news of unbundling of UNIMA

The development means the four  constituent colleges of Unima  will sonnet or later become standalone universities.

Polytechnic will now merge with College of Accountancy to form a separate university.

Chancellor College will combine with Domasi College of Education, Bunda College will merge with Natural Resources, [it has already merged as Lilongwe University of Natural Resources-Luanar] and the nursing courses of College of Health Sciences will go to Kamuzu College of Nursing (KCN) while remaining courses would go to College of Medicine to form a university.

Benedicto Kondowe said unbundling of Unima would help to bring sanity and enhance competition in higher education and growth of the institutions.

Kondowe, who is director of Civil Society Education Coalition, said structures that are at the University Office are the same as those found in colleges and it is in a way duplication of roles.

He said the presidential nod is a “progressive development” and ask all parties to be “sober’ and “more constructive” in detaining how the exercise will be done.

Limbani Eliya Nsapato said unbundling of Unima would encourage innovation in addressing current issues of financing and sustainability.

“The delinking will also minimise inefficiencies in tackling perennial problems of lack of harmonisation of university calendars, frequent closures of universities due to student riots and staff strikes.

“ Furthermore , t h e unbundling will help colleges to be autonomous and creative in addressing prior mandates in research, quality and equitable access,” Nsapato said.

The education expert said the unbundling would also help address differences in staff remuneration and boost career progression among academic and nonacademic staff in a less bureaucratic manner.

He, however, warned the unbundling may come with its own teething problems such as need for enterprising and forthright leadership; need for enhancing capacity (technical and financial) to ensure sustainability of the programmes; and transparency and accountability in public financial management.

Nsapato said there may also be the need for policy oversight so that the colleges do not turn a blind eye on their prior mandate.

Bunda  College which delinked from Unima to turn into Luanar (Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources) is becoming more selfsustained in terms of funding, research and programming.

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Gogodasi
6 years ago

A university would normally have colleges which in other countries call schools. Tell me how many colleges shall the Polytechnic have or it will turn departments into colleges? This is just a ploy to discredit Kamuzu’s development efforts so that MUST should remain the top university because the dream was hatched by Alomwe alomwe. This is nothing but politics. I am actually shocked for the opposition’s silence. the university of Malawi was created by an act of Parliament and how come the President wake up one morning and order the unbundling of our university without due Parliamentary proceedings to deliberate… Read more »

Way
Way
6 years ago

Greed and power which are the main motivating factors in as far as national descision making is concerned are surely bringing our nation to ruins. The president in giving a nod to the unbundling does not have the capacity to give a sober and strategic direction towards resolving issues at unima, which by the way has been a national pride and flag carrier in higher education since independence. So as way of denying responsibility as a head of state he assents to this unwise proposal and at the same time gaining a political mile from proponents of the unbundling especially… Read more »

Chibet
Chibet
6 years ago

Kkkkkk now I believe, Malawians will always think like malawians and not like people. I can now see the the reason why Malawi has always remained the poorest country on the planet earth. Malawians have got no brains and they think like pigs. In this 22 century, how can you make a structure which doesn’t even deserve to be a modern high school to be a university? I thought you would say you are planning to build a university!!!! Kkkkkkkkk shame on you all.

John Zosiilana
John Zosiilana
6 years ago
Reply to  Chibet

The Future….not knowing…..in the 150years to come……

Phiri
Phiri
6 years ago

KCN will be the first Nursing University in the World.

Mzanga Dausi
Mzanga Dausi
6 years ago

Peter is now proving to be no different to Bakili Muluzi who came in and vandalised our national institutions and damaged our way of life.

Mzanga Dausi
Mzanga Dausi
6 years ago

A pulezidenti bwampini, mutu wanu siukoka. That which you have done there is what’s known in civilisation as an act of vandalism. To dismantle a national institution of such high reputation and with an enormous history behind it is barbarism.

I am going to Mzuzu high Court to seek a warrant of arrest on you.

hsloa
hsloa
6 years ago

Finally, someone is now thinking well academically!!! KUDOS!!!!!!!!! Where were you all this time.

Nyamwero
Nyamwero
6 years ago

Chanco izunzika. It is less innovative, ma course ake aukapekape bolaninso ku tekiniko.

chidebe
chidebe
6 years ago

Not gud idea. Build new universities.

JJK
JJK
6 years ago

So we (including those who are commenting here on nyasatimes) are sure that most of the problems UNIMA has been facing (wage strikes, low funding, low research, lack of books, lack laboratory equipment, etc) are because the colleges were under one university, or that those problems are solvable by un-bundling the university? I think we Malawians are collectively retarded in our brain.

bbr
bbr
6 years ago
Reply to  JJK

man the bureaucratic way in administration will be short to an extent that those that were involved will be less and this will speed up the process,again the administration will now focus on a wider scope.look at luanar now,last graduation we are told they made about 23bilion from self generated activities and now they own a filling station ,a farm has now a shop in town ,there are almost two more story building under consteruction and many more.the cost of universty office in zomba will now be a thing of the past and those resources can be channelled to other… Read more »

mdyanyemba
mdyanyemba
6 years ago
Reply to  bbr

More especially UO. A prick in the ar…

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