Mutharika endorses splitting University of Malawi, creates new universties
President Peter Mutharika has assented to a bill which was passed in Parliament unbundling the University of Malawi (Unima) and is now a law creating standalone universities from the constituent colleges of Unima.
State House director of communications Bright Molande has confirmed that Mutharika has “endorses creation of new universities” with immediate effect.
He said the target by government is to “create more space for more students to access university.”
Molande said the decision by President Mutharika to approve the Unima split would change the landscape of university education in Malawi.
He said this is a move in the right direction to promote tertiary education in the country.
Malawi Polytechnic will now be called Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences while College of Medicine and Kamuzu College of Nursing have been combined and will now be called Malawi University of Health Sciences.
Chancellor College will be University of Malawi.
Education activists have been advocating for the restructuring of Unima describing it as significant in enhancing educational growth among them high standards of academic leadership, financial independence, strong and world-class research as well as world-class academia.
Academicians also back the split saying the Unima federal structure had outlived its usefulness and is an obstacle to growth.
The education experts have suggested that Unima Council and National Council for Higher Education (Nche) need to merge into one policy oversight institution that would work with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in providing policy guidance, ensuring quality assurance, and promoting networking and learning across public universities.
Civil Society Education Coalition executive director Benedicto Kondowe saidthe merging of Unima Council and Nche, as suggested by other experts, was one brilliant idea authorities must take seriously.
Kondowe said the unbundling would help to deal with persistent problems such as lack of harmonisation of university calendars and frequent closures of universities due to student riots and staff strikes.
The delinking of the three colleges is the second after Bunda College of Agriculture was delinked from the university in 2011 which merged with Natural Resources College to form Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Luanar).
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The delinking is jus for nothing wat actually was wrong with the old names? Delink inakatha kukhalapo but the names were not supposed to be changed but chilichonxe mukungochilowetsa ndale why? Munakweza kale fees lero izi ndi zina
The outgoing president of Malawi Zampeter Mutharikarim. Sad how it has ended bringing down Malawis economy to its knees. Mr Outgoing President, who never had any control on the country always shunning Malawia problems pretending as if there were no problems to solve. This guy should never get more than 100,000 votes. The only people that are supporting him who are benefitting from the proceeds of crime should only be the people to vote for him. In this day and age, it is sad that there are some people who still support such mediocrity of Mutharikarim and DPP. Look at… Read more »
Are you commenting on the subject matter of the article or pissing on people, Mr. Hater? This is the most stupid and irrelevant comment.
Chakwera has done nothing as an MCP leader and leader of opposition. Dyera lokha. Useless reverend. kkkk pitilizani kilota.
Which paragraph in the above article is mentioning Chakwera as somebody who has done something you’re against Kalyoto? My take is this: Based on your comment, you seem to be someone who can kill out of natural hatred? I am sure you hate Chakwera so much and link him to APM’s failures! SHAME on you!
though yu have done dat yu are packing yu are not going to APM
The good thing I did not do engineering. Why has polytechnic silent about engineering. Is this under applied science. Why not call MALAWI UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING, BUSINESS AND APPLIED SCIENCE. Anyway tisintha pa July pano. Parliament should enact a law to prevent outgoing governments change laws. Obama was.stopped to appoint a supreme judge because his time was coming to an end
Why has everything has to have Malawi something, why not just neutral names? Ever heard of France university of so so? Or Britain university? German university? Etc, etc?
University of South Africa. UNISA. Umbuzi basi
Osamabisala ndi ma zigoba with your useless Tumbuka thinking. Athu aziti athu aku Mangochi alibe mzelu pomwe uli Mtumbuka Kabwafu
Palibe chifukwa chonyoza a tumbuka a pa man uless you are filled with hate and backward thinking
It was titled ‘Malawi’ University because at the time it was the only university in the country.
Iwe Chimanga, MUST sikuyiwona?
MUST ya Bingu? Imodzi basi?
Which education experts are suggesting the merger of UNIMA Council and NCHE? This doesn’t make sense at all. We still need UNIMA Council as a governing body (or whatever it does) of the University of Malawi (i.e. made up of Chancellor College only now).
Good move but the Naming is horrible! And each university should have its own admission policies scrap NCHE please.