Malawi accredits universities of Nkhoma, Daeyang : Western University of Blantyre rejected

Malawi’s National Council of Higher Education (NHCE) says Daeyang University and Nkhoma University – of the CCAP Synod of Nkhoma – are now accredited institutions of higher learning in Malawi.

In an update made available to Nyasa Times, NHCE revealed the development was as a result of its 9th extraordinary meeting held on July 3, 2015.

“The council approved outcomes of institutional and programme assessments of eleven higher education institutions,” reads part of the statement.

But the Council rejected to accredit Western University of Malawi’s commercial capital Blantyre because the institution did not meet the “minimum standards of higher education institutions” in Malawi.

NHCE said Western University is “not allowed” to operate or admit students for any of its programmes.

According to information Nyasa Times sourced some of the criteria used to certify institutions of higher learning in Malawi include “quality of staff and infrastructure.”

Other institutions of higher learning accredited include Exploits University (Blantyre), Malawi Adventist University (Ntcheu and Thyolo), Mahtma Ghandi University (Lilongwe), Malawi Assemblies of God University (Lilongwe), Riverton University (Lilongwe), Montfort Special Needs Education College (Chiradzulu) and Malawi College of Accountancy (Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu).

The Council said the public must be “assured” that it will make sure the institutions are operating and offering “approved programmes.”

Malawi has since the dawn of multipartyism registered a proliferating number of private institutions of higher learning to add on to the few public institutions.

However, institutions of higher learning – both private and public – have “abysmal” standards, according to education activist Benedicto Kondowe.