BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-The Civil Society Education Coalition (CSEC) has called for decisive enforcement action against institutions awarding unrecognised qualifications, warning that Malawi’s education system risks losing credibility if urgent reforms are not implemented.
In a statement signed by Executive Director Benedicto Kondowe and Board Chairperson Limbani Nsapato, CSEC responded to a joint press release by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) and the Technical, Entrepreneurial and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TEVETA), which exposed the awarding of unrecognised qualifications by certain training institutions.
While commending the two regulators for bringing the matter to public attention, CSEC said the revelations highlight deeper and long standing regulatory weaknesses that have allowed rogue institutions to operate openly for years.
According to the coalition, some questionable providers have been advertising foreign qualifications, enrolling unsuspecting students and collecting tuition fees despite lacking proper accreditation.
CSEC observed that regulatory oversight has often appeared reactive and overly cautious.
“Regulation cannot be exercised with kid gloves when the futures of Malawi’s young people are at stake,” the statement reads, stressing that the consequences of inaction are too severe to ignore.
CSEC has therefore urged NCHE and TEVETA to go beyond issuing warnings and instead fully utilise enforcement powers granted under the NCHE Act and the TEVET Act.
The coalition is demanding the immediate closure of illegal institutions, prosecution of offenders, imposition of meaningful penalties and public blacklisting of non compliant entities.
The organisation warned that anything less than visible and decisive enforcement will embolden malpractice and further erode public confidence in Malawi’s higher education and technical training systems.
CSEC says the controversy underscores the urgent need to finalise and enact the Malawi National Qualifications Framework (MNQF) Bill, which remains pending.
The coalition argues that the absence of a harmonised national qualifications framework has contributed to regulatory fragmentation and created loopholes exploited by rogue operators.
If enacted, the MNQF Bill is expected to strengthen quality assurance systems, align academic and technical education pathways and improve international comparability of Malawian qualifications.
It would also close systemic gaps that enable the proliferation of fraudulent and unaccredited awards.
CSEC described unrecognised qualifications as more than administrative irregularities, calling them a direct assault on academic integrity, labour market credibility, and national development.
The coalition noted that such qualifications distort employer confidence, disadvantage legitimate institutions and leave students burdened with debt and certificates that carry no legal or professional value.
“Malawi cannot build Malawi 2063 on compromised standards and fraudulent foundations,” the statement emphasised, linking the issue to the country’s long term development ambitions.
To strengthen oversight, CSEC has proposed sustained joint inspections, publication of an accessible and regularly updated national register of accredited institutions and programmes and the establishment of a protected whistle-blower mechanism for students and staff to report malpractice.
The coalition also stressed that accountability must extend not only to offending institutions but also to systemic lapses that allowed the malpractice to flourish.
The statement concludes that Malawi now requires firm, lawful, transparent and uncompromising enforcement backed by structural reform through the enactment of the MNQF Bill to protect students and safeguard the integrity of the nation’s education system.