By Austine Kananji
Lilongwe, May 27, Mana: Malawi School of Government (MSG) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) to formalise the partnership, which seeks to harness the strengths of both institutions in pursuit of excellence, innovation, and societal impact.
The official signing ceremony of the MOU took place on Monday evening at the Capital hotel in Lilongwe city, attracting different heads of departments from the MSG and some officials representing the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT)
Speaking on the occasion, the Director General of the Malawi School of Government (MSG), Prof Asiyati Chiweza, appealed to all members of the Malawi School of Government academic and administrative staff to embrace the partnership with energy, dedication, and a shared sense of responsibility.
“Let us be diligent stewards of this collaboration and honour the trust placed in us by our esteemed partners,” she said.
She further said that as a School, they are fully committed to the diligent and results-oriented implementation of the MOU and eager to see tangible results, including collaborative outputs, shared knowledge, empowered professionals, and better-served communities.
In his remarks, the Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice President of RMIT University Professor Colin Picker, appreciated the relationship between the MSG and his institution RMIT as manifested by signing the memorandum of understanding that reflects the commitment to collaborate the two Institutions in various areas and bridge the gaps that separates Universities in Australia and Malawi.
“The MOU we have signed reflects the commitment to collaborate across different areas, including research, Curriculum programme development, Student staff mobility, as well as collaborating in the area of education technology where we are hoping that together we can figure out some new approaches using the very latest artificial intelligence,” he said.
He further explained that with the Malawi School of Government, they are hopeful to engage with industry with corporations, NGOs and others to blend industry or NGO perspectives into the classroom and their research as RMIT works closely with industry partners in the development of their programmes and research.
The MOU, which will run for 5 years long outlines the collaborative areas, including Joint research initiatives, Capacity building and professional development programmes, Government and industry engagement, and Faculty, student, and staff exchange programmes, which will foster mutual learning and strengthen global perspectives within both institutions.
MSG amalgamated the former Malawi Institute of Management (MIM) and the staff development Institute (SDI), and the school started its operations on 1st December 2022, following the government`s announcements of its commencement date, offering academic undergraduate programmes (4 years) and postgraduate programmes (2 years).
