UTM’s Kabambe calls for reversal of university fee increase

UTM president Dalitso Kabambe has called for a reversal of a decision to double public university fees, from K650,000 to K1.3m a year, describing the increase as unjust.

Speaking to reporters in Lilongwe on Monday, Kabambe said the policy created a barrier to higher education, with students now facing costs of about K3.8m a year once accommodation and food were included.

He said the government should instead cut spending elsewhere, pointing to the K80bn budget allocated to State House as a possible source of funds to close the shortfall the fee rise was meant to address.

“Education is not consumption,” Kabambe said, arguing that investment in education was central to the human capital development goals set out in the Malawi 2063 development plan.

Kabambe is not alone in his opposition. Leader of the Opposition Simplex Chithyola Banda, a former Finance Minister and senior Malawi Congress Party figure, has also condemned the fee increase, even as the governing administration continues to defend it as necessary.

With households already squeezed by a persistently high cost of living, the disagreement between government and opposition over how to fund public universities looks unlikely to be resolved quickly, and is likely to remain a live political flashpoint in the months ahead.