Commission of inquiry appointed on varsity impasse

As the dispute between the academic staff of university of Malawi chancellor College and polytechnic and the university council continues, President Bingu wa Muthalika on Sunday appointed a commission of inquiry to investigate and resolve issues surrounding the two sides over academic freedom.

According to a statement from the office of the President and cabinet it says the commission will be Chaired by former Unima Vice –chancellor Professor Brown Chimphamba .

The commission comes after 95 days of the deadlock between the two sides, which have resulted in the indefinite closure of the two colleges.

The commission will inquire into the root causes of the disputes between academic staff of the two colleges.

The commission will inquire into the issue of “academic freedom and employment issues in the University and recommend to government a lasting solution to the current and future disputes” according to the statement.

The other member of the comission include professor Moira Chimombo,Lawyer Krishna Savjan,Catholic Bishop Emiritus Felix Mkholi and former career civil servant Beaton Munthali while Chief Legal Advocate Bruno Kalemba will be Secretary to the commission.