APM attracts wrath of academics over research remarks

President Peter Mutharika has stepped on a raw nerve with his call for university lecturers to “concentrate on research [and] not commenting on public trivia”. The remarks have drawn the wrath of the academia some of whom have described them as demotivating.

In his address during a University of Malawi (Unima) fundraising dinner and dance at the Bingu International Convention Centre in Lilongwe on Saturday night, the President said good universities are known by their research; hence, he asked Unima lecturers to raise the profile of the institution with research.

Said Mutharika: “A good university is known by its research and publications, so it is high time we put our universities on the world map through our research and innovations.

“As lecturers, let us not waste time writing and commenting on trivial public issues most of which you don’t even have the expertise. I, therefore, urge lecturers to do more research, which should get published [internationally].”

However, several members of the academia yesterday faulted the President’s speech on social media networks such as Facebook.

In an e-mail interview yesterday, Danwood Chirwa, a professor of law at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, said government and the private sector in the country have not taken research work seriously, a situation that has led to the academia conducting research in extremely difficult situations.

He said: “Some of them [university lecturers] have produced high quality research in internationally respectable journals and have also edited books. They have achieved this under extremely poor working conditions and in a context where government and the private sector do not take academic research as a priority.

“Then the claim that public commenting by academics is a waste of time represents a lack of understanding of social engagement as a worthy academic activity. Leading universities, in fact, create high profile posts to be occupied by leading public intellectuals.”

Chirwa further faulted the proposed 2015/16 National Budget, saying it does not reveal how much will be devoted to research and research-based teaching.

He said the President should have demonstrated his government’s commitment to higher education in general and academic research in particular through the budget currently under scrutiny.

“The fact that he did not is not surprising as he has throughout his political career shown little interest in prioritising higher education,” observed Chirwa.

He said it was sad that throughout his address on Saturday, the President never said anything on his government’s commitment to Unima, saying: “What is more irritating reading through his speech is that this was a fundraising event and he says nothing about his government’s commitment to the university, only encouraging others to donate. The President should be leading by example and show everybody how seriously his government takes higher education and research.”

Writing on his Facebook page, Edge Kanyongolo, an associate professor of law at Unima’s Chancellor College in Zomba and a regular commentator on social and constitutional law issues in the media, said the President would do better focusing on governance issues instead of commenting on ‘comments’.

Reads the post: “On my part, may I suggest that presidents should focus on governance, for example, dealing with toxic bank ‘loans’, mustering the courage to go to Parliament to answer questions from MPs etc instead of wasting time commenting on comments. Incidentally, many Unima academics I know are quite capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time….”

Another Unima academic said the job description for a Unima academic includes teaching, research, consultancy and outreach—a broad fabric within the context of academic freedom.

However, presidential press secretary Gerald Viola yesterday said the President has been misunderstood because by urging the university lecturers to do more research he did not mean that they are doing absolutely nothing.

Said Viola: “The President is appreciating the work of the lecturers, but he was rather indicating that there is more they can do in the area of research which in turn can improve the ranking of our universities.

“However, those commenting on the social media or otherwise are free to do so because the President is a public figure, therefore, his statement can be debated, he does not feel offended with that.”

In 2011, Mutharika, then serving as minister of Education, Science and Technology, was accused of indecisiveness after lecturers at Unima downed tools, demanding academic freedom after a spy was allegedly planted in a political science class and reported lecture examples to authorities. 