The University of Malawi (UNIMA) says President Chakwera has brought tangible value to the university’s academic calendar and infrastructure developments since he came into power and by law the law University Chancellor.
Speaking during the 99th Congregation for the University, Chairman for UNIMA Council, Dr. George Partridge, said the Chakwera-led administration has also allowed the University to smoothly implement its infrastructure projects, recalling that in the past, “most of our projects were abandoned and they had less efficiency.”
Partridge also acknowledged the enormous support that the university continues to get through the Ministry of Education, describing the support as “unprecedented.”
“The impact of these projects is enormous and one of them is that the learning environment is now improved. We have also managed to increase the intake now to 11,000 students from around 2,000, a decade ago,” added Professor Samson Sajidu, Vice- Chancellor of UNIMA.
Chakwera has also earned a huge kudos from the University Council for walking his talk on government policy specifically on helping a myriad of needy students access government loans, through Higher Education Students’ Loans and Grants Board (HESLGB).
Upon arrival at the university’s Chirunga campus, President Chakwera inspected some of the new infrastructure at the college which Partridge said have been completed on time because of unrelenting government support.
During the campus tour, the President attracted deafening cheers when he broke protocol and walked to the hostels where he visited the room which housed him during his UNIMA days from 1977.
He has since pledged to paint Kanjedza Hostel in which his room is located. He also requested other alumni who are serving in his government to follow suit and decorate their former lodging places at the campus.
The 99th congregation has two cohorts, first of which graduated at the event attended by the Malawi leader.
University of Malawi, the country’s first institution of higher learning, currently has 11,000 students.