Education analyst Limbani Nsapato has expressed concern over the closure of the Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) and has further asked the Ministry of Education to intervene immediately.
MUST was closed yesterday following protests staged by some students on Monday after they were denied to write examinations due to non-payment of school fees.
In a statement posted on his official facebook page Nsapato said: “It’s unfortunate that today MUST has been forced to close its lecture rooms because of wrangles over unpaid fees by needy students.
“The solution lies in the Tonse government whose torch bearers MCP and UTM led by President Chakwera and Vice President Chilima, promised the moon to university students.”
The fearless education activist Nsapato added that: “Let the Tonse government through the Hon Minister of Education Agness NyaLonje intervene and allow the university to re-open very soon.”
For record purposes, this is what is in the manifestos of MCP and UTM
UTM MANIFESTO 2019, PAGE 50, 51:
“UTM shall ensure that 100 per cent of disadvantaged secondary school learners are provided with bursaries and loans such that no single student fails to complete his or her education for lack of tuition fees”.
MCP MANIFESTO 2019, PAGE 43:
“Review the existing university fee structures with the view of coming up structures that enable universities meet their obligations but at the same time ensuring that university education is affordable to all deserving Malawians”.
Fixing broken systems as stated in the President’s recent SONA, should begin with breaking fees barriers to access to tertiary education especially by needy students.
