Unima needs K28bn to address accommodation woes

University of Malawi (Unima) has conceded facing multiple crises of students’ accommodation, teaching space and staff shortages as students’ hostels alone need K28 billion investment.

In an update to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament on the status of the country’s oldest public university, Unima vice-chancellor Samson Sajidu yesterday feared for the worst when the university opens for the second semester this March.

He said Unima is expecting two cohorts of about 4 000 first year students and 8 000 continuing students.

Sajidu said the university tried to stagger the enrolment and calendar, but faced resistance from students and the public.

He said: “Bringing them together for us is catastrophic because we have 4 000 first year students and then the continuing students, the population will be about 12 000 against 1 200 accommodation rooms that we have.

“But finally we accepted under pressure and they are coming together in March. Right now, we are finalising the first semester of the continuing students and they will come together with the other cohort in March.

“Surely, as a controlling officer, I am gripped with fear as to what will happen in March because there is no accommodation in Zomba and we do not have the teaching space.”

Sajidu said the university plans to construct four prefabricated classrooms with a learning space of 250 each, but the classrooms will only be ready in July or August.

On staffing, he said Unima is using an old establishment and has been lobbying government for an increased establishment so that there are at least 800 lecturers. Currently, there are about 300 lecturers.

Sajidu also mentioned funding as another challenge. He said this financial year, the university needed K25 billion and had asked government for K18 billion, but received K15.5 billion.

In response, PAC chairperson Mark Botomani sympathised with the university.

He said there is need to improve the situation and pledged Parliament’s support in lobbying for increased funding towards the university.

Botomani said: “The figures they have given us for accommodation and teaching space are so alarming. You are talking of a student population of over 10 000 and teaching space of 2 500, the gap is too huge. There is an initiative for construction of prefabricated classrooms, but the classroom can only cater for a few.”

Civil Society Education Coalition executive director Benedicto Kondowe has since blamed the crisis on lack of proper vision and consistent plan for higher education development.

“While universities have been growing in terms of enrolment there hasn’t been investment in development to match the enrolment growth. There is a mismatch between enrolment and development,” he said.

Unima was unbundled in 2021 a process that saw its constituent colleges becoming standalone universities.

Chancellor College in Zomba retained the name Unima while The Polytechnic in Blantyre became Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences and College of Medicine merged with Kamuzu College of Nursing to form Kamuzu University of Health Sciences.

Bunda College in Lilongwe was the first constituent college to be delinked from Unima in 2012 to form the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources. It merged with Natural Resources College.