US proposes entrepreneurship in tertiary education curricula
United States (US) Ambassador David Young has said the Malawi 2063 (MW2063) drive towards development can be accelerated by introducing entrepreneurship programmes in the country’s tertiary education institutions.
He was speaking in Lilongwe on Tuesday when he presented $1 000 (about K1.02 million) grants to 15 graduates from the country’s five public universities, who presented successful business proposals in the Strengthening Higher Education Access in Malawi Activity (Sheama).
Young said an entrepreneurial skilled youthful generation is key to industrialisation and a youth-centric development drive which are enshrined in MW2063 Agenda, the country’s long-term development strategy.
He said: “In an era where it’s tough to get employment, entrepreneurship is an answer because you are shaping more potential creators of employment and this can be best done by introducing entrepreneurship in tertiary education so that the youth graduate with the mind to create jobs.”
Minister of Education Agnes NyaLonje said the ministry is already in the process of a curriculum review which will consider the proposal to introduce entrepreneurship at tertiary level.
“Let me say that we are already going in that direction because, in our MW2063 Agenda, we want to involve the youth as much as possible in employment creation. That is why the President launched the Presidential Initiative on Job Creation in 2021,” she said.
Sheama is a four-year United States Agency for International Development-funded programme implemented by Arizona State University which works with public universities to increase skilled and employable workforce.
Through the three components of scholarships, workforce development and open and distance learning (ODL), Sheama works with public universities to develop a viable and effective ODL model that is economically sustainable, feasible, replicable and appropriate for Malawi.
Sheama director of scholarships Sellina Kanyerere Mkweteza said 9 092 Malawian youths have accessed tertiary education through the US Government support, out of which 7 238 are ODL short market driven courses beneficiaries.
