By Staff Reporter

Civil Society in the country have commended President Dr Lazarus Chakwera for opening more windows towards access to higher education in Malawi.

Addressing State of the Nation in Parliament few months ago Chakwera said he has set priorities to be achieved in education sector where he stressed the need of increasing the enrolment into the university from 36,000 to 45,809, which is no mean achievement in a year of Covid restrictions and increase again targeting the enrollment to hit 48,000 in the 2021/2022 fiscal year.

Coalition for Media and education for development Board member Bright Kampaundi, has also commended the Malawi Leader for the drive.

“This will ensure access to tertiary education by many student who are left out because of the limited space at our tertiary education facilities . Tertiary education provides to room to mode intellectuals which are very critical for national development.” Said.

Kampaundi said there is need for new infrastructure.

“However I would like to ask the the Tonse adminstration to ensure that the drive to increase access to tertiary education must be married with the construction of new infrastructure in new learning spaces and so too expansion of already existing infrastructure .
Further more it’s high time we as well ask the academia to develop courses that responds to the needs of African continued and Malawi is this particular case.”

Kampaundi said ; “Malawi and African as a whole we need to development our human capital and skills that will help to move the continent forward and this can only be down if we develop hone grown academic solutions to make bast use of the resource we have in Malawi and the Africa continent at large.”

CSEC Executive Director Benedicto Kondowe says increasing enrollment is of very important increased enrol in public university is not only strategic but also a progressive step in expanding access to Tertiary education.

“The current enrolment of 32% implies that the majority of students do not have access to university. 32 in every 100 students who qualify for selection into the university get admitted. The current landscape disempowers the youth from living their dreams. We therefore need to expand access both in the medium term as long term. The commitment by the President is precondition for a leading a way for more opportunities for the youth in as far as access to tertiary education is concerned. Education is the bedrock for achieving Malawi 2063.” Said Kondowe.