LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-The country’s education rights body Civil Society Education Coalition (CSEC) on Friday, January 22, 2021 demanded University of Malawi (UNIMA) Council to reverse its decision of cancelling UNIMA’s delinking withi seven days.
CSEC observes that UNIMA Council’s decision is unacceptable and called for that needs to be not entertained.
The education rights body observes that UNIMA council has no power to make such decision surpassing Malawi Parliament that passed the law of delinking the public universities.
CSEC rebuked UNIMA Council to desist from making political and personal interests over national matter.
The body therefore urged the Council members to step aside that enable people could facilitate the delinking of UNIMA process.
Addressing the news conference in the capital Lilongwe, CSEC Executive director Benedicto Kondowe urged President Lazarus Chakwera to intervene on the matter that UNIMA council decision be stopped forthwith.
“CSEC believes that the delinking of UNIMA has been long overdue and therefore, it would be unfortunate that the debate should be restarted when the same had already been concluded.
“We recommend that the council should rescind its decision preferably within the next seven days,” demanded Kondowe.
He added, “What has remained now is the Ministry of education to set a date for commencement of delinking of UNIMA as all processes was done”
According to a statement signed by Deputy University Registrar of UNIMA Ashanie Gawa, the council held its 117th extraordinary meeting on Wednesday, January 20, 2021 where the decision to set aside the delinking was made.
During its extraordinary 102nd meeting in 2017, the council and the senate agreed to delink the constituent colleges of the university of Malawi. The move was later endorsed by Malawi Parliament.
But at its meeting on January 20, 2021 the Council realized the decision was ultra vires (done beyond the two structures’ legal power or authority) and not in line with the powers and functions of the Senate and the Council.
“In view of the foregoing, council at this sitting of the 117th extraordinary meeting resolved to set aside the process of delinking the constituent colleges of the University of Malawi.
Council, however, resolved that a functional review be conducted to guide council on the way forward in addressing areas which require improvement and to embrace aspirations towards enhancing the efficiency of the university,” reads part of the memo addressed to principals of UNIMA colleges.
The University of Malawi consists of The Polytechnic, Chancellor College, College of Medicine and Kamuzu College of Nursing.
