Lazarus Chakwera to champion education in universities
President Lazarus Chakwera has been installed Higher Education in Africa Champion under the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (Reforum).
The forum is a grouping of 138 universities from 39 African countries.
Representatives of local and international universities attended the event at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe.
“In accepting this honour, I am aware of the impact that Reforum’s promotion of higher education has already had across Africa and the responsibility that I will have as a champion to see that impact happen,” Chakwera said.
He, therefore, called for the need to admit into membership public universities produced through the recent delinking of University of Malawi constituent colleges.
He added that Reforum was instrumental in the pursuit of Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
Reforum Chairperson George Kanyama Phiri, who is from Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, indicated that the President has been recognised because of his outstanding leadership in promoting tertiary education.
The forum’s executive secretary Adipala Ekwamu said Chakwera’s recognition was motivated by his contributions to the education sector.
He hailed Chakwera for promoting equal access to tertiary education, widening access to all and promoting education for girls.
He also acknowledged the country’s leadership for allocating the largest chunk of resources to the education sector.
“No continent, no country, has developed without human capital,” he said.
Education Minister Agnes NyaLonje said, after receiving the largest share of the national budget, her ministry would work towards making sure that every learner learns in a classroom, sits on a desk and has a qualified teacher.
Mathews Kasanda is a journalist who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from University of Malawi (The Polytechnic).
In 2015, Media Institute of Southern Africa awarded him the Best Print Media Education Journalist of the Year accolade.
He joined Times Group Newsroom in September 2019.
