UNIMA Council Firm On Fee Hike Stance

Stakeholders who participated for
the briefing for the UNIMA Council 

Council of the University of Malawi (UNIMA) says it will not overturn tuition fees raise in order to return the strength and recognition of its Degrees in Europe and America as well as home companies. 

The Council told stakeholder’s in Lilongwe on Tuesday evening when briefing them on developments related to the rise of tuition fees in the UNIMA that the revised fees are necessary to improve quality of education which at the moment has gone down.

Prof. Wirima

“Council thinks we should now move to the next stage and look at what the fees actually buy: that is the degrees and qualifications.” Said Professor Jack Wirima in reaction to the ongoing debate since the announcement of the revised fees were announced

He said “Our degrees have become so weak and diluted that they are not being recognised any more in Europe, America and even some universities in South Africa. Here at home most companies are complaining that our graduates are below expected standards and they may take more than 6 months to settle down and master their job.” 

Prof. Wirima also noted that the latest University ranking has placed UNIMA at 149 out of 200 in Africa which he described in the context of globalisation and networking as “a very poor position to occupy and particularly painful when we remember that our university was highly rated in the 1980’s and 90’s.”

“Should we continue on this downward spiral, very soon our degrees will not even bow worth the paper they are written on.” He professed 

He then “We need to do something” and assured that the increment will help “to arrest this fall in the quality of our university education.”

“The anger that we have seen over the past few weeks needs to be directed at the low academic standards, we should be collectively angry that we have sunk so low. We should be collectively ashamed with such low and poor showing. We must reverse this embarrassing position. We must invest in our students and the future. We can do it”

He said education is very expensive because to train a medical doctor for example, takes about K5 million per year per student but this increment require a student to pay K600 thousand per year and the payment can spread over the academic year, meaning they can pay per semester of per month.

“So, the figures that we have come up with have been scientifically arrived at and they are going towards a budget which by the way is still a deficit budget because Government has said they can only afford so much in terms of subvention to the university.” He said 

He further reminded Malawians that the nation is having pressure for the limited resources to purchase maize to feed the hungry and to buy medicines for hospitals in addition to other social needs yet at the same time the University of Malawi needs resources for teaching materials, infrastructure, staff recruitment, motivation and retention. 

I the face of this competing demand for resources he said; “We have asked each college to draw up survival strategies. We are working on aggressive resource mobilisation strategies.” 

He then appealed; “We ask students to join us in this resource mobilisation in any way they can” adding “A functional review of the University is about to start.” he said and resonated other council members remarks that tirtiary education is not a right but privelage hence education is expensive 

Higher Education Students’ Loan and Grants Board Executive Director, Mr. Chris ChisoniLoan assured the nation that no deserving needy student will be left out saying funds will be available for all seeking loans.

Although the issue of fees increment for UNIMA has become hot topic and has been heavily criticized by activists, politicians and students who recently held protests which resulted in arrests for property damage, it was surprising that very few activists were present at the meeting and it also lacked students who are more concerned about the adjustments.

Meanwhile Chairperson for Parliamentary Committee on Education Elias Chakwera says absence of the concerned students during the Council and Stakeholders meeting means problems will continue between the Students and the University.

He said the meeting was supposed to discuss issue of fees which is in every household now and not the approach of briefing the stakeholders by presenting the Councils side of the story. 

“The meeting was short of the complainants who are students so that in a very democratic way of approach we would have expected the students to be here also. So, I think we got the brief but I don’t think we are reaching a conclusion of the matter because it may not be over until the students themselves are convinced that this fee must go up.” He said

Chakwera then advised the council to continue engaging with students and explain why they need fees that high and how it benefits the university.

He was also quick to express doubt that “For me the students have genuine concern that they may not be able to pay the fees.”