Ministry launches ‘sex for grades’ probe
Ministry of Education says it has opened an investigation into ‘sex for grades’ following revelations that a Mzuzu University (Mzuni) lecturer was allegedly exploiting female students in exchange for academic success.
The ministry’s spokesperson Mphatso Nkuonera in an interview yesterday said they learnt about the Mzuni case with shock.
He said: “This is a serious misconduct as stipulated in the rules and regulations for governing the institution.
“Through the university’s Institutional Integrity Committee [IIC] and the Disciplinary Committee, the matter is being investigated expeditiously in accordance with rules of natural justice. Depending on the outcome of the investigations, appropriate actions will be taken.”
The ministry’s position came to light after Civil Society Education Coalition (Csec) asked the ministry and other stakeholders to investigate continued reports of university lecturers allegedly sleeping with female students in exchange for grades.
In a statement issued yesterday and jointly signed by Csec executive director Benedicto Kondowe and board chairperson Limbani Nsapato, the coalition further called for the need to ensure that culprits are identified and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.
Csec said the malpractice was common in both private and public institutions of higher learning.
Reads the Csec statement: “From private universities to esteemed public institutions, no corner of Malawi’s academic landscape seems immune to the corrupting influence of individuals who prey on the vulnerability of students, particularly women, trading academic advancement for sexual favours.
“We refuse to accept this as the status quo. The pursuit of knowledge should never come at the cost of one’s integrity or autonomy. It is a fundamental right, enshrined in principles of dignity and equality that every student be afforded the opportunity to learn and grow without fear of coercion or exploitation.”
Csec has since demanded urgent action on the recent revelations by a former Mzuni student that she and several others fell prey to sex for grades exploitation.
“Mzuzu University, its administration, and the Ministry of Education must heed this rallying cry and embark on a relentless pursuit of justice,” reads the statement.
Csec has further called on the Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) to hold a public hearing to help address the issue.
“Such a forum would provide a platform to unearth the perversity of the problem, allowing survivors to share their experiences, shedding light on the systematic issues at play, and facilitating the formulation of effective strategies to combat sex-for-grades exploitation,” reads the statement.
In an interview yesterday, Kondowe lamented that tertiary education institutions seem to propagate a culture of shielding lecturers accused to have been involved in such malpractices.
He said since such issues are criminal in nature, universities are more interested in protecting the institution’s reputation than the victims.
“If investigations are done, they are done as a cover up. They are done to exonerate the accused,” said Kondowe.
He said as Csec, they want universities to develop protocols for sexual abuse and lecturers should sign a code of conduct.
In a separate interview, Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation executive director Michael Kaiyatsa also called for investigations into the matter, saying there is need to establish what exactly happened so that the issues are resolved.
He said the malpractices affects the right to education and several other rights.
Meanwhile, MHRC executive secretary Habiba Osman has said the commission is keen to follow up on the matter, adding public inquiries would help solve the situation.
However, she said there is need to gather information from the universities.
“There is still need to do an independent inquiry on the matter,” said Osman.
A former Mzuni female student alleged that one of the lecturers abused her and that there were other students that endured the same.
