US gives K17.5bn for higher education
The United States (US) has committed a $17 million (about K17.5 billion) investment through the US Agency for International Development (USaid) over the next five years to bolster higher education in Malawi.
A statement from the US Embassy in Lilongwe yesterday said the package will help to increase student enrolment in selected higher learning institutions and help learners to complete science, technology, engineering, and mathematics studies.
The project also seeks to expand high quality and market-relevant university programmes for students and boost the ability of Malawi’s universities to advance innovation, productivity and competitiveness.
The statement reads: “USaid’s Transforming Higher Education Systems project will strengthen student support systems, increase experiential learning opportunities and engage private sector actors through increased internship opportunities and research innovation.
“Students from marginalised and vulnerable backgrounds throughout Malawi will benefit from the project and universities’ research capacities and outputs will increase to match [Malawi’s flagship agenda of] Malawi 2063.”
The statement said the new project will partner with the Ministry of Education, Mzuzu University, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources and other public and private local colleges and universities.
Meanwhile, US Ambassador David Young was quoted in the statement as having said: “This latest partnership with the Ministry of Education is a systems-wide approach that will remove barriers for marginalised and vulnerable youths and support students to thrive in the higher education system.
“Our investments will foster an enabling environment that helps youths build their own successful futures.”
USaid forges partnerships between US and Malawian universities to advance market-relevant areas of study for economic growth, especially in fields related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
According to the US embassy statement, the project will be implemented by America’s Michigan State University.
