President Chakwera challenges graduating students to be patriotic

Zomba, April 30, Mana: President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera has appealed graduates to be patriotic and help the country achieve middle-income economy status.

Speaking at the University of Malawi (UNIMA), Great Hall in Zomba on Wednesday during the graduation of 2643 students, the President said when he ascended to power in 2020, he emphasized the need to make a significant shift in the higher education sector.

Among others, the president said, he made sure that the quota system should be abolished, dissolved entrance examinations and made sure there was separation of the sector of higher education from primary education.

“I promised to break the past and build new bridges for us to cross to the new future. During this time, I have managed to delink the University of Malawi into separate universities to improve focus. In addition, I have increased resources to the loan board to improve education access from 10,000 to 30,000 students,” Chakwera who is also Chancellor of UNIMA said.

Dr. Chakwera also said he deliberately separated the office of higher education which has been instrumental in tracking down fake certificates.

Looking at all the achievements, the president said it was important for the newly graduating students to remain patriotic and help develop Malawi beyond 2030.

The president promised to deal with accommodation challenges in academic institutions which he said is one of his missions as he leads the country for the next five years.

Chairperson of the UNIMA Council, Dr Christopher Guta hailed the government for continued financial support, saying this enabled the growth and expansion of the university.

Guta said with the support, UNIMA expects to increase its intake due to the construction of student hostels to ease accommodation challenges.

He there assured the president that UNIMA will contribute to Malawi Vision 2063 through human capital which is one of the enablers.

“Graduation is a ceremony which acknowledges academic achievements. As the University of Malawi, we are proud to be part of the 2063 development agenda,” Guta added.

The UNIMA Council Chairperson reported to the president that the university is implementing all the functional reviews and policies that were approved by the government and this will contribute to improved tertiary education.

UNIMA, Vice Chancellor, Prof. Samson Sajidu said the graduation of 2,643 students was a major contribution that the university made to Malawi society.

The Vice Chancellor applauded government for various support towards the university, saying this enabled UNIMA to broaden access to education on top of maintaining higher education standards.

“With the support from government, we constructed office blocks, and built prefabricated class blocks which will accommodate over 2,000 students,” Sajidu added.

Out of the 2,643 graduating students, 218 were awarded master's degrees, eight were awarded doctorate degrees, and the rest got bachelor's degrees.

26 students graduated with distinctions of which 14 were females while 12 were males.