Prof Danwood Mzikenge Chirwa raises the temperature on the ongoing debate on Fake PhD as follows:
In closing, and since I have been declared persona non grata in my own country, let me assure all Malawians that you can have a good sleep. I have been persuaded to keep the list of holders of dubious doctoral degrees to myself for now. I understand that the issue has touched — and is breaking up — many families.
But let no one make the mistake that this is a small matter: it is, on the contrary, profoundly serious.
Falsification of qualifications and misrepresentation of one’s credentials are criminal offenses and in the world of employment, actionable misconduct.
Within a week, we have touched the foundations of corruption in Malawi. I for one have just understood more starkly why it will take ages to address this problem. Dishonesty is deeply entrenched. Misrepresentation has been normalized. The collusion between the regulators and the regulated is unbreakable. If you dare to touch the status quo, the rearguard action can be swift, aggressive and life threatening. How did Malawi lose its bearings so much?
All strata of Malawian society are now infiltrated by people with corrupt intent. The more influential people hanker for and hold degrees not worth the cheap paper they are written on. From parliament and cabinet, to other state institutions, professional bodies, universities, religious organizations and the private sector, counterfeit degrees hold sway.
It is clear that many holders of these papers are victims of diploma mill fraud. Some are now shocked to hear that what they believed to be genuine programmes and papers count for naught. I understand their pain and shame. But others participated in the schemes knowingly and purposefully. These must incur the full force of social opprobrium.
Malawian corruption requires emergency attention and not half measures. Within the education sector, the following areas require immediate attention:
1. Access to tertiary education including skills training has been Malawi’s problem since the Kamuzu Banda times. Many young people have nowhere to go after their MSCE. The denial of access to tertiary education condemns then to a life of penury and idleness. Priority has to be given to expanding education opportunities, in both traditional universities and also skills development institutions.
2. The development of a legal qualifications framework defining minimum standards for primary and second education, prerequisites to higher education and skills training, minimum number of years and prerequisites for undergraduate programmes and postgraduate programmes, minimum credits for degree programmes, principles governing transfer of credits, etc.
4. The establishment of qualifications authority to assess and vet local and foreign qualifications.
5. A more robust system for the registration and accreditation of all educations institutions.
6. An immediate audit of the minimum qualifications for the job for all those employed in the public service, universities, and public primary and secondary schools. The private sector and statutory organizations need to do this as well.
7. An investigation into possible corruption in the registration and accreditation of education institutions.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are the writer’s and do not reflect the views of The Maravi Post or Publisher