UTM Party president Dalitso Kabambe has described the 100 percent increase in public university tuition fees, from K650 000 to K1.3 million per year, as unjust and called for its reversal.
Addressing the press in Lilongwe yesterday, he said the increase would make higher education unaffordable, arguing that students now face annual costs of about K3.8 million when accommodation, food and other expenses are included.
Kabambe urged government to reallocate funds from other budget lines, including the K85 billion allocations for State residences, to bridge the funding gap in public universities.
Said Kabambe: “We are asking the Ministry of Finance to review some budget lines like State residences. President Peter Mutharika is not travelling frequently unlike his predecessor, so in this case it is possible to cut the K85 billion State residences allocation.”
A student at Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Luanar), Naomi Mbeye, also expressed concern over the fee increase, saying many needy students fail to access loans from the Higher Education Students Loans and Grants Board.
Last week, Luanar, Mzuzu University (Mzuni), Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (Mubas), University of Malawi (Unima) and Malawi University of Science and Technology (Must) announced almost uniform fee increases, effective this academic year.
