National Council for Higher Education (Nche) has directed Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (Kuhes) to re-admit 77 students withdrawn from its Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) programme for alleged bullying by staff.
This follows an inquiry by Nche between May 27 2024 and May 30 2024 at Kuhes Blantyre Campus following a complaint lodged by students withdrawn between 2017 and 2022.
The students alleged that some consultants of the five-year programme bullied them during clinical supervisions by using insulting, threatening and demotivating language, which instilled fear in them.
They claimed the bullying did not create a conducive learning environment.
Furthermore, they alleged the institution was run on nepotistic connections and a review of the MBBS programme disadvantaged them to the extent of being withdrawn from the institution.
According to a 26-page inquiry report and internal correspondence we have seen between Nche and Kuhes Vice-Chancellor Professor Mac Mallewa, it was established that some of the former students’ allegations and claims were valid while those that lacked merit need to be investigated further.
The report partly reads: “The inquiry found that Kuhes carried out major changes regarding the implementation of the curriculum, assessment rules and regulations of the MBBS programme without sufficient stakeholder consultation followed by lack of proper communication to disseminate feedback.
“It is the considered view of the inquiry team that the reviewed curriculum, rules, regulations, and its immediate implementation had disadvantaged the students and contributed significantly to their systematic withdrawals from the programme.”
It also directed Kuhes to investigate nepotism claims
Nche chief executive officer Ambumulire Phiri in one of the letters addressed to Mallewa has since directed that all Kuhes programmes, including MBBS, should undergo assessment for accreditation by the end of 2024.
She noted that changes to the MBBS programme, which were partial, were taken as minor by Kuhes management while Nche’s inquiry team regarded them as major.
Phiri further noted that despite Kuhes claiming to have communicated to the students about the changes in assessment rules and regulations, it did not provide any proof to back the claim.
Kuhes carried out the MBBS programme and curriculum review within a two-year interval, thus 2011 and 2013, and subjected the students to assessments with the new review which was against the Nche Act, sections 27 and 28 and Kuhes Act Section 48 (2).
Part of the letter reads: “Given the circumstances, there was evidence that some of the former MBBS students were irregularly withdrawn and disadvantaged.”
But when contacted on Wednesday, Kuhes registrar Christopher Namagowa asked how we sourced the documents instead of commenting on the allegations.
Mallewa, on his part, said he would respond by close of business on Thursday to which he did not. When we reminded him again on Friday, he did not furnish us with any response.
