By: Qeko
It is official now that the Malawi’s NO. 1 State University-UNIMA is not among the TOP 100 Best Universities in Africa. This news announced weeks ago is sad, unfortunate, worrisome, and disastrous and something which is raising questions regarding the quality of higher education in Malawi. Also this is sad and discouraging because as Malawi’s State University, UNIMA is expected to do better and be part of the major African’s best universities.
What has gone wrong at UNIMA?
That the nation’s University has been kicked out of the best 100 best African’s Universities leaves many with unanswered questions like; what has gone wrong at UNIMA that things have gone this worse? Who is to blame for this misfortune that has befallen the nation? Is there anything that the UNIMA Council, Government, UNIMA Alumni and the Private sector failed to implement that has led to this misfortune to the nation? Now that the nation of Malawi has been kicked out of the Africa’s best 100 Universities means that something is wrong or something has gone wrong somewhere and that something urgent need to be done to address this problem. This is serious and worrisome and Government and the UNIMA council need to seriously look into this matter because the effect of this does not end up in Malawi alone but shall affect all Malawians across the globe as they shall be undermined and underrated. The relevant authority need to look at this matter with urgency because we are talking of the nation’s Number One University here.
SOME CONTRIBUTING FACTORS
Lack of intensive Research
One of the major factors that enhance quality of university Education is research. Many of the major African Universities have research as the backbone of their education. They don’t compromise on research because this is the main reason of their existence as Institutions of higher learning. Now regarding UNIMA, the question is the extent of research done? Does UNIMA Departments carry out intensive research on key issues affecting the country? Does UNIMA various faculties promote research as their main reason of existence as a University? Does UNIMA Council encourage and promote research? Do they partner with other world renowned research agencies in the promotion of research in the country? I ask this because there are many issues that have happened in the country which needed the UNIMA researchers to do something about them. UNIMA as the nation’s NO. 1 University need to know that they are the only academic hope for the nation and that they need to do more and become the research hub for the country. If the UNIMA quality education has to be restored then the authority needs to begin looking into how they can handle the issue of research at the College. There has to be advanced research where all University departments gets busy in one way or the other.
Lack of postgraduate studies initiatives
The other key factor is lack of intensive postgraduate studies at UNIMA. It is due to lack of such postgraduate studies that the question of research comes in because by and large postgraduate studies involves research. It is through postgraduate studies that research is done intensively which in turn brings revenue to the University. What I am saying is that postgraduate education at UNIMA is limited and that is why many Malawians and even lecturers at UNIMA prefer to go outside the country to pursue their Masters and PhD qualifications. If UNIMA was well equipped, the University could have been offering all the postgraduate qualifications and there would be no need for lecturers and Malawians to go overseas or within Africa to pursue postgraduate studies. However UNIMA need to go back to the drawing board and re-strategise and begin to position itself properly in this decade of advanced postgraduate education.
Private sector negligence and stinginess
The private sector in Malawi have contributed greatly in the decline of University education by their stinginess in that they by and large do not provide financial support to the University through scholarships and bursaries. Ironically Malawi’s private sectors employs graduates from UNIMA and they themselves (private sector) do not want to be involved in the production process of these graduates which is selfish and unfortunate. In South Africa and other Africans Universities, private sectors are the engine of University Education and they play crucial role in the provision of bursaries and scholarships to students which in turn bring revenue to the University. The Malawian situation is pathetic and sad because private sector in as much as they make huge profits in the country, they are stingy and do not want to be involved in the production process of quality graduates at UNIMA. If all companies in Malawi were to provide bursaries and scholarships at UNIMA, the University could be having some money and enough funds to take care of some of its businesses.
Malawi has many companies which makes big profits yearly but the question is why are they not contributing to the educational needs of the country? Why are they not providing scholarships and why are they not giving out even small bursaries to students? What are they using the profits they make in the country for? Why are these companies operating in the country in the first place? Are they in Malawi to make big profits and reward their CEOs big yearly bonuses and not serve the nation’s educational needs? What is government is doing about this? This writer believes that companies doing businesses in Malawi have the social responsibility to serve their community and provision of bursaries and scholarships is the best way to go if they have to be more effective in this area.
WAY FORWARD
A commission of inquiry over the matter
As a way forward, one key step to address this situation is the institution of the commission of inquiry over matter. Serious steps need to be taken to making sure that Malawi get back on this chart. Now the commission of inquiry will help explore and find out key reasons as to what actually has happened at UNIMA that the nation’s university is kicked out of the best 100 Universities in Africa. The sad thing is that on this chart there are many private Universities meaning that Malawi can not even match the standards of these many private Universities in Africa which is very sad as a country. UNIMA is a State University which means that everything that happens there need to be done with extra care and seriousness because whatever happens affect the nation as a whole. What I am saying is that this misfortune to the nation is unacceptable as it questions the value and quality of qualifications offered at the nation’s NO.1 University.
Government deliberate policy- 10% of the private yearly profit for scholarships and bursaries
It is a fact that Malawi’s sector has been missing in the financing of education in the country. For decades, Government has financed University education without meaningful support from the private sector in the country despite the country having many companies which make huge year profits. Some have blamed government for being lenient on the private sector by not giving them assignment to do in terms of ordering them to provide a specific number of bursaries and scholarships to the University. The few i interviewed on the matter stated that there is nothing private sector can do if government does push them onboard. They pointed out that government need to have a list of all companies in Malawi and give each company a specific number of bursaries and scholarships to give to the University each year. The number of bursaries and scholarship provided by each company would depend on the profit made in a year which means that big companies operating in the country would provide more scholarships than the small ones.
To effect this, Government need to come up with the so called, “deliberate policy on University Educating Financing-Scholarship and Bursaries-10% of annual profit”. This deliberate policy would be geared to make sure that the private sector contributes in the financing of university education in Malawi as well. In this regard the policy could show and state that 10% of the company’s yearly profit goes toward this University Education funding project. In this regard Government would provide the monitoring mechanism that all companies abide by this policy rule and that each and every company operating in the country equally contributes in the educational needs of the country. Having said this we need to know that Government alone can not manage to finance University education in the country hence the need for the private sector to play a role in the promotion of University Education in Malawi through provision of scholarships and bursaries.
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