Malawi President Chakwera installed as MUST Chancellor

BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)—President of the Republic of Malawi, Dr. Lazarus Chakwera, has been installed as Chancellor for Malawi University of Science and Technology during a Virtual 2^nd  Congregation of the University held at the university’s campus in Thyolo District.

The President was installed in a ceremony led by the University’s Vice Chancellor Address Malata.

“I accept to take the position of Chancellor of Malawi University of Science and Technology,” said President Chakwera as he got installed as Chancellor of MUST.

Chakwera said there is no single pillar of the Malawi 2063 which does not call upon university graduates, such as those from Must, to rise to the challenge.

He however said the science and technological skills the graduates have acquired have to be combined with entrepreneurial skills if they are to be fruitful.

According to MUST Act, there can be no awarding of certificates, diplomas and degrees if there is no Chancellor.

Speaking during the ceremony, which was virtual due to Covid-19 pandemic, Vice Chancellor Address Malata challenged the graduating students to be professional, saying they represent the university.

He further promised that the institution will strive to be a “solution-based university.”

The Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) was established by an Act of Parliament Number 31 of 2012 with the aim of promoting the development, adaptation, transfer and application of science, technology and innovation for macro- and micro-economic development of Malawi.

The University enrolled its first cohort of students in April 2014 but was officially opened on October 24, 2014 by His Excellency the President, Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika, who is also its first Chancellor. MUST has four operational schools: the Malawi Institute of Technology (MIT), Ndata School of Climate and Earth Sciences (NSCES), Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS), and Bingu School of Culture and Heritage (BISCH). These schools are headed by Executive Deans.

Established in 2014, the MIT is currently offering seven undergraduate and two postgraduate academic programmes in areas of Engineering, Computer and Information Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The NSCES is currently offering seven undergraduate programmes in earth science, climate science, sustainable energy and water resources. The BISCH was operationalised in 2017 and is offering three undergraduate programmes in sports science, African Musicology and Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practice.

Maneno Chimulala

I am a journalist, educator, and activist with passion for telling stories about social justice, sports and political issues. I graduated from Mzuzu University. I started my career at the Maravi Post online publication in 2012 as an intern while in college. Upon graduating from Mzuzu University I was offered a job as Sports Reporter because of my background as a goalkeeper and rose to the position of sub editor. I also had a short stint with Nyasatimes, Malawi Punch and Malawi Digest. Over the past seven years, I have worked intimately with rural organizations and communities in Malawi on human rights, girl child education and grassroots development projects. With an academic background in education, I also volunteer as male champion for girls’ education under Girls Empowerment Networks (GENET) in Malawi’s South West Education Division (SWED).