By Brenda Nkosi
Blantyre, May 12, Mana: As a way forward to the abolishment of the quota system of selecting students into the public universities, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology on Tuesday announced the use of the merit selection criteria beginning this year.
The Principle Secretary in the ministry of Education, Justin Saidi said this during a press briefing in Blantyre.
“On March 3, 2020, we informed all public universities on the abolishment of the quota system of selection into the public universities.
“On April 10, the President concerted to the guidelines proposed by the universities. Therefore on May 6, selection on merit has been done by universities and results should be out by month end,” said Saidi.
He said unlike the primary school selection to secondary schools, university selection is done by universities themselves.
“As government, we only provide policy. We don’t do the selection. With the announcement in February 2020 on the change in the selection criteria, we needed to also formulate a policy that would go with this change,” said he.
He therefore called on all needy students who will be selected, to access the loan from the loans board so that no one should fail to attain university education because of fees.
Director of Secondary and Distance Education in the ministry, Ruth Samati said government was aware of the call by some quarters of society to reopen schools.
“We have called for a stakeholders meeting on reopening of schools because in schools the Coronavirus will spread like wild fire and it is our responsibility as a ministry to look after learners and teachers,” she said.
