Public figures that include politicians, business moguls, and celebrities that have been using honorary doctorate degrees should no longer be addressed as such, government has declared.
The declaration from National Council for Higher Education (Nche) follows recent pronouncements by Minister of Higher Education Jessie Kabwila that government would flush out all those using fake qualifications in the country as if they earned them academically.
Besides, Nche has said it will soon embark on a nationwide audit targeting unqualified teachers, academics and individuals owning and selling fake doctorate degrees.
High profile individuals with honorary doctorate degrees include former presidents Bakili Muluzi who received it from Taiwan University in 1999 and Joyce Banda awarded in 2013 by South Korea’s Jeonju University.
Others include musicians Ethel Kamwendo Banda, Patience Namadingo as well as social media influencer Pemphero Mphande.
But in a statement yesterday, Nche chairperson Estone Sambo said honorary degrees are only conferred by Nche’s accredited institutions, further highlighting guidelines under which titles of honorary degrees can be used in Malawi.
He said: “Recipients of an honorary doctorate degree should not address himself/ herself as ‘Doctor’. However, such honours can be placed under the resume under achievements and awards section.”
Sambo urged members of the academia, including the media, not to address a recipient of an honorary doctorate degree orally or in writing as “Dr”. He added that honorary professorships cannot be used in Malawi.
Currently, former first lady Getrude Mutharika is addressed as professor, after being conferred an honorary professorship in Global Health by Peking University in China in 2019.
In reaction to the Nche statement, Link for Education Governance (LEG) executive director Limbani Nsapato, said there is need for sanity, ethical and legitimate practices in higher education.
“However, we are concerned that the guidelines do not contain information on how Nche intends to enforce such guidelines nor do they provide punitive measures against errant individuals or institutions,” he said.
One of the honorary degree recipient s Pemphero Mphande posted on his Facebook page that government cannot dictate what people choose to call themselves.
“If I choose to start calling myself Prof Mphande because my daughter calls me a Prof at home, that’s okay.
“If you ask me why I call myself a professor, I will not say it is because of academic achievement. I will say, “My daughter gave me the title,” he wrote.
