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President Bingu wa Mutharika says Malawi is underdeveloped because it did not sufficiently invest in education, which he said is paramount to rapid economic transformation and development.
Speaking when he conferred degrees and awards to students at Mzuzu University, Mutharika said his government would not let education suffer and vowed to revamp the university education system, saying this is an area that was previously sidelined.
During the same congregation, Mutharika also conferred an honorary Doctor of Letters degree (Honoris causa) to celebrated Malawian academician and writer Professor David Rubadiri. Rubadiri. Rubadiri is also vice chancellor for the University of Malawi.
Said Mutharika: “There are countries in South East Asia and Latin America that were no more developed than Malawi in the mid-sixties but which have made vast strides in economic development. These countries were able to achieve so much because they invested in education, science and technology.”
He said there was enormous need to increase enrolment in the country’s universities to provide adequate numbers of trained and qualified people to manage its socioeconomic growth process.
The President said the 107 students who graduated with Bachelor’s degrees in Arts, Science and Health Science Education and five others from the Lakeland College in the United States needed to work hard to fit in his government’s efforts to economically transform the nation.
Lakeland College is one of the colleges and universities that are linked with the Mzuzu University in its quest for excellence. The college offers scholarships to some Malawians to study education in that country but are supervised by Mzuzu University in practicals and research.
Mzuzu University’s vice chancellor Professor Peter Mwanza and Council chairman Professor Terence Davis said the coming of Mutharika as chancellor of the university was a great motivation for both students and staff.
Both Mwanza and Davis challenged the President to ensure that he is part of the university.
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