Private universities vital, but…

For decades, Malawians suffered limited access to higher education as the one-party government’s policies only mandated the University of Malawi and Polytechnic Board of Governors to provide this essential service.

Most well deserving Malawians could not enroll for higher learning due to lack of space and quota system of selecting learners.

The monopoly created fierce competition for few spots.

Since the return of democracy in 1994, we have seen more private universities mushrooming. This has increased access to higher education.

The country has benefited from the skills and knowledge imparted by private universities.

Education accelerates economic growth. It provides the knowledge and skills required to enhance productivity, innovation, creativity and other forms of human capacity.

Private universities have created opportunities for deserving Malawians to get higher education.

Previously, diplomas, postgraduate certificates and degrees were scarce due to limited bed space in Unima colleges.

Interestingly, more people are acquiring skills in various fields from private universities.

Some of the graduates venture into production and entrepreneurship.

Their increased productivity translates into high national income and gross domestic product (GDP) as well-trained human capital innovate and create more economic activities for the good of the nation.

In the past, the country was deprived of skilled labour force to innovate and create jobs.

The public service absorbed most of the trainees from the sole public university, with few trickling into the private sector.

The entrepreneurs from private colleges help reduce unemployment, a major macroeconomic indicator in every nation.

With the liberalisation of universities, more Malawians are getting employed in private colleges as lecturers, accountants, cleaners, messengers and other positions.

The public sector, including taxpayer-funded universities, cannot employ everyone.

The private institutions also promote good governance.

They have trained strategic leaders in both private and public sectors, entrenching positive governance attributes in various institutions and decision-making processes.

Steady and strategic decision-making is vital.

For years, some companies have closed shop due to limited skills and business knowledge by some leaders who could not make strategic decisions to avert the shutdown.

Some of the graduates from private colleges are holding senior positions and making strategic decisions due to the know-how and qualifications obtained outside public colleges.

However, the private institutions of higher learning are not without challenges.

Research has shown that some owners of these institutions do not adequately support their staff, especially when it comes to salaries and wages.

Some workers spend over four months without pay and this compromises quality of education.

As a result, teaching and learning fall below the standards required by the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE).

This is not surprising as many lecturers dedicate more efforts to searching for money than training human capital. 

Studies have also shown that many private universities do not invest in research. As a result, there is a limited body of knowledge in the country.

University education is more about research than classwork. It seeks to generate more knowledge and skills.

The gap leaves the country heavily dependent on outdated insights and knowledge generated by foreign universities.

This is detrimental to sustainable development

At worst, some private universities are run as family businesses, with most of leadership positions concentrated in the owners’ bloodlines regardless of the beholder’s academic qualifications.

This is a big challenge when it comes to upholding education standards set and regulated by NCHE.  Running universities like families’ income generating activities contradicts basic standards that form the bedrock of the education sector.

There is need to intensify and promote monitoring standards for private universities to effectively contribute towards the desired standards and economic growth.