Crackdown on unregistered post-secondary education planned

Thousands of Malawian graduates may soon be stripped of their qualifications as the government moves ahead with a plan to crack down on unregistered learning centres. Malawi has more than 20 illegal higher education institutions offering a myriad of post-secondary courses, including accountancy, hotel management and engineering. But authorities say the education provided by the numerous 'fly-by-night' schools is often sub-standard, and fails to adequately prepare students for the labour market. "We have a big problem in Malawi, where people just open schools behind garages or markets - this should be checked," said ministry of labour and vocational training permanent secretary Lucius Chikuni. When IRIN visited a 'private school' in the capital, Lilongwe, earlier this week, students were huddled in makeshift, poorly ventilated 'classrooms' in a building attached to a garage. Despite the obvious lack of resources and the uncomfortable learning conditions, students said they had no option but to continue their education at the centre. "The institutions of higher learning are not enough, and there are very few people [accepted into] colleges. What do we do?" remarked Isaac Mwanyanga, one of the students. Of the 4,000 people who applied for a place at the University of Malawi this year, only 800 were accepted. The low intake meant that most of those who were unsuccessful would have to seek post-secondary training elsewhere. Malawi's local media are flooded with adverts encouraging enrolment at private schools, often with the promise of a "good education", but some students complained that they had been conned by school owners. Kelvin Chamangwana, a lecturer at Compusecurity Institute, another private school, noted, "There are a number of schools in Malawi that offer certificates to students after one month; some even issue diplomas, while others issue a degree after one year." Chamangwana agreed with the government's decision not to recognise qualifications issued by unregistered institutions, saying this was necessary if educational standards were to be maintained. "We have seen colleges employing teachers who are not qualified to teach accounting subjects or engineering," he told IRIN. "One wonders what kind of qualifications will be achieved at such institutions." While some teachers have welcomed the move, others complained that the government had made a unilateral decision and should have included the private sector in the process. "The government should have consulted widely on the issue, because to improve the standards of education you need to involve the private sector," said Lexon Ndalama, executive director for the Association of Christian Educators in Malawi. A recent UNESCO report observed that for the past 10 years, the quality of education had dipped due to lack of infrastructure, trained teachers and the HIV/AIDS pandemic. President Bingu wa Mutharika pledged that his administration would prioritise the education system when he took office in May 2004.