Mutharika meets University of Malawi Council over reopening of colleges

President Peter Mutharika on Thursday summoned the newly constituted University of Malawi (Unima) Council for a meeting, State House confirmed to Nyasa Times.

Presidential spokesperson Mgeme Kalilani said the meeting took place on the evening at Kamuzu  Palace in Lilongwe .

Kalilani said the president who is also the Chancellor of the University of Malawi wanted to “hear from the council on the progress they have made on efforts to open the closed colleges.”

Students at three of four Unima constituent colleges –the Malawi Polytechnic, Chancellor College and Kamuzu College of Nursing (KCN) have in the past week protested the increase in their financial contribution leading the Unima council into closing Chancellor College following a fracas that ensued during protests.

Recently, Mutharika accused councils and managements of public universities of contributing to the closure of the institutions of higher learning because of their resistance to embrace the ongoing reforms in the public service.

The President also challenged councils and managements of public universities to stop looking up to him whenever there is a crisis; instead they should devise solutions to problems rocking institutions of higher learning.

The reconstituted  Unima Council board include Professor Jack Wirima, who is chairperson and George Patridge and Justice Duncan Tambala as members.

Other members in the Unima Council board include “two members to be appointed by the University Council, principals of the four constituent colleges of Unima [College of Medicine, Chancellor College, Kamuzu College of Nursing and The Polytechnic].

It also includes four members appointed by the Senate of Unima, two members appointed by Unima Students Council, Unima vice-chancellor, PS in the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Secretary to the Treasury, Secretary for Human Resources Management and Development and the Comptroller of Statutory Corporations.