MUTHARIKA’s STATEMENT DURING GRADUATION CEREMONY AT MZUZU UNIVERSITY

FRIDAY, 22ND AUGUST 2014.

• First Lady of the Republic of Malawi, Madame Gertrude Mutharika,

• The Vice President of the Republic of Malawi, Right Honourable Saulos Klaus Chilima, and Mrs. Mary Chilima

• Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Honourable Dr. Emmanuel Fabiano MP

• Chairman of the University Council, Professor Brown B. Chimphamba and Council Members here present
• Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Robert G. Ridley

• His Worship the Mayor of Mzuzu City, Mr. William Mkandawire, and city councilors here present

• Member of Parliament for Mzuzu City, Honourable Mr. Leonard Njikho and other MPs here present

• Crown Prince M’Mbelwa 5th, Paramount Chief Kyungu, Senior Chief Mtwalo and other traditional leaders here persent

• Members of the Diplomatic Corps here present

• Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Loveness Kaunda

• University Registrar, Mr. Vyson Jedegwa

• University Librarian, Deans, Heads of department and Academic staff and non-Academic staff of Mzuzu University

• Invited dignitaries and Honourable guests

• Graduating students

• Parents and Guardians

• Ladies and Gentlemen
It gives me great pleasure to return to Mzuzu University and especially to take on the role of Chancellor at this, the second public University in Malawi established in 1997.

It gives me particular pleasure to do so at this 16th Congregation, where 686 students are graduating, the largest number of students ever to graduate at this university.

I congratulate all of you graduands here before us for your personal achievements. I know that all of you, together with your proud families and guardians have struggled and worked hard to accomplish what we are celebrating today. Enjoy this day of celebration. You deserve it!

It is very gratifying to note that among the graduands are 27 receiving postgraduate degrees. Extending qualifications to postgraduate level and supporting and benefitting from the research output that postgraduate students generate is an important part of any university’s development. I commend the University for expanding its postgraduate courses and I look forward to more postgraduate scholars graduating from Mzuzu University, and indeed from all universities in Malawi, in the future.

In my State of the Nation Address in parliament in June, I committed myself to improving education in Malawi, and to assist the further expansion of quality Higher Education in this country. My acceptance of the position of Chancellor is a manifestation of this commitment to, and interest in, Higher Education. As has been mentioned by others here today, about my personal background, having taught at several universities in both Africa and overseas, and having achieved the rank of an endowed and chaired Professor, gives me an understanding and appreciation of education in general, and Higher Education in particular.

Honourable guests, Ladies and Gentlemen

There are several aspects of Higher Education in this country that must be addressed if we are to develop, namely: Access, Quality, Relevance, and Management and Good Governance.

Access to higher education still remains a privilege of a few people in this country. We must increase the numbers of students able to access university education through having more available places. Sadly, we are amongst the lowest performing countries in our region in this regard. We need to improve, both by expanding enrollment at existing universities and through the creation of new universities. It is the wish of my government that more youth are enrolled in university as higher education is critical to the development of this country. We need also to venture into a wide variety of disciplines, critical to the development of Malawi. The 686 graduands before us today represent the future leaders of this country, whether they be teachers, scientists, poets, entrepreneurs, lawyers or future politicians.

The quality of university education needs also to be critically accessed. A university degree is of little use to anybody if the person has not received quality education. A student needs well qualified lecturers, ideally at PhD level, good library, laboratory and classroom facilities and decent accommodation to be able to succeed. Once again, we must acknowledge that achieving this level of quality is a challenge to our universities. Government has recently established the National Council for Higher Education. The first challenge of this new organization is to monitor, register and accredit universities and academic programmes to make sure that no university student, whether at a private or a public university, has a sub-standard education.

Relevance of education is another key factor for higher education in Malawi. We need pogrammes that are responsive to the development needs of our country. We need students who can think critically, clearly and communicate well and have expertise in critical areas needed by our country for development. I note that Mzuzu University focuses on Education and Teacher Training, Environmental Sciences, Health Sciences, Information Sciences and Tourism and Hospitality Management. These are all relevant areas of study for national development and I challenge the University to work hand in hand with stakeholders, including the private sector, to make sure that the courses they give meet the needs of students, future employers and the country as a whole. I also challenge the University to develop students who can become entrepreneurs and future business leaders. We need graduates who can create jobs as well as occupy jobs.

I will be failing my duty if I don’t put emphasis on need for good management and governance in universities. Universities must follow the Acts and statutes under which they operate, develop and fairly administer good internal policies, procedures and regulations in a timely manner and be bastions of integrity. It is essential that all members of a university, namely staff and students, follow these internal procedures and regulations and, above all, retain a high level of integrity.

Honourable guests, Ladies and Gentlemen

The challenges facing our universities and our education system in general, and indeed many other aspects of life in Malawi, have arisen because, as a nation, we have limited resources. We have to find innovative ways of financing our universities both through attracting more resources from outside the country and through finding additional resources from within the country, whether this be through public funds, through fees, or finance from the private sector. Universities themselves must play a key role in raising these resources.

As an example of external finance, my Government has recently approved a loan from the World Bank for a Skills Development Project that will direct significant resources to the University of Malawi, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Mzuzu University. I am informed that Mzuzu University will receive around 8 million dollars over four year to increase access, quality and relevance to students in its Tourism and Hospitality faculty and its Open and Distance Learning programmes. This is a good example of how government and universities can work together with development partners to access external resources.

With respect to internal financing we need to look carefully at how universities are financed in Malawi. We need to have a good balance of resources obtained through subvention, fees and other sources. This has to be done in a way that generates improved income for universities to provide a good education, while still providing adequate support for poorer students.

One area that can be better utilized to bring resources into Higher Education is through public private partnership. My Government is currently reviewing a proposal to assist public universities to work with the private sector to build more and better student accommodation in our public universities.

Honourable guests, Ladies and Gentlemen

I leave my final remarks for the graduands seated before us and their families and guardians.

The graduands deserve our congratulations and the families and guardians deserve our thanks for their support.

As you leave here with your qualifications today you will have to continue learning and working hard to succeed in whatever job or career you take up. Do not take for granted what you have. You have your certificate, diploma or degree today because of your hard work, but also because of the support of your family, the dedication of your teachers at school and many other factors, including the taxes paid by the Malawian people.

Many other equally gifted young people did not get the opportunity you have had to study and you owe it to those people and Malawian society as a whole to act ethically and responsibly as you progress in your career and to share your knowledge with others. I want to believe that this graduating class has a change in mindset. I want to see more of you creating jobs for your fellow youth out there as you may be aware that our jobs out there are not sufficient for everyone. It is also my hope that government can use most of you in our skills development programmes for the youth that have not made it to University through our community colleges.

I wish you every success in your future lives. Your success is Mzuzu University’s success and the nation’s success.

God bless you all and God Bless Malawi