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Students threaten to sue MCA over graduation

Malawi College of Accountancy (MCA) students who completed their studies last year, have threatened to take the institution to court over its alleged failure to arrange their graduation ceremony.

The graduands, who are from all MCA campuses in Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu, are demanding the college management to conduct their graduation by November 20 this year.

Some of the representatives tell the story on Tuesday

Graduands representatives on Tuesday claimed to have exhausted all means of dialogue and that there is no satisfactory response from MCA management.

In an interview, a Blantyre Campus representative Aubrey Ntasa claimed that some of them are being denied access to employment, further studies and promotions in their workplaces because they have not received their certificates.

He said: “We suggested to management that in line with Covid-19 preventive guidelines, graduation should be conducted in phases in our respective campuses.”

Ntasa said they further requested MCA management to give them their certificates and then hold a graduation ceremony later when the Covid-19 situation improves, but the college has done nothing despite giving them assurance.

“We thought MCA management would take advantage of the reduced new Covid-19 cases to organise our graduation ceremony in line with the reopening of schools,” chipped in another representative Daniel Ndhlovu.

The group has since given MCA management 72 hours to announce the date for the graduation ceremony.

In a separate interview, MCA principal Agrippah Phiri said the graduands have genuine concerns.

He said MCA management proposed to print the certificates and conduct a virtual graduation, but the institution is waiting for its board’s approval.

Said Phiri: “In the absence of their degrees, we are giving them transcripts as evidence that they have indeed completed their studies at MCA and some of the students have already been employed using those transcripts.”

Meanwhile, University of Malawi (Unima) students who completed their studies in 2019 have also threatened to hold demonstrations in all regions protesting Unima’s planned virtual graduation.

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