Poly students will not demonstrate against lecturers’ strike

Students of the University of Malawi’s polytechnic resolved not to demonstrate on Friday against a continued strike by their lecturers.

The decision was made at a meeting they held after noting that they had not been learning for almost three weeks now, a development which is posing a threat to the university calendar.

The college’s lectures have been boycotting work demanding a 113 percent salary increment.

Last week, the students also convened a meeting where they urged all concerned parties including the University council and the government to treat the matter with the urgency it deserves.

Polytechnic students’ union president Wakisa Simkonda told Capital Radio that they made the decision after allegedly noting that some authorities want to use them to advance their agenda.

Simkonda said: “We are not going to demonstrate or get involved in any sort of violence to force the stakeholders to resolve their issues because we realize this is a big issue, and there are some sinister things happening behind the scenes. We have been told that some of the authorities are trying to use the students to advance their personal agendas.

“So we agreed that we shouldn’t be involved in their issues, they sprouted from their own advancements and as it is now let them resolve their own issues without involving the students.”

On students leaving the campus only to return after the strike, Simkonda said they agreed that “those who want to go home can do so since the administration don’t want to officially announce the indefinite closure of the college though we haven’t been learning for three weeks now.”

Meanwhile, Unima supporting staff enters a second day of strike demanding a 75 percent salary increment, despite the authorities pledging to effect a 21 percent increase.