Medical students face Dec fees deadline
By Deogratias Mmana:
Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (Kuhes) students who were once sponsored by Daeyang Luke University before being adopted by the University of Malawi (Unima) have been given December 31 2021 as the deadline for paying fees balances.
Unima—which used to have constituent colleges such as Chancellor College [now Unima), The Polytechnic, College of Medicine (now Kuhes) and Kamuzu College of Nursing (now part of Kuhes) before the delinking exercise earlier this year— wrote the students admitting them into the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery Degree programme from the 2019-20 academic year.
Kuhes has warned that it will not present the students’ examination results to the senate for consideration if they do not settle fees balances.
The students sat examinations after Ministry of Education officials asked Kuhes officials to allow them sit the same.
According to a letter from Kuhes, dated December 23 2021 and signed by acting registrar Stuart Chirambo, the students complained to Unima that they were subjected to higher fees. The students further sought the intervention of the courts as one way of forcing Kuhes and Daeyang Luke University to reduce fees applicable to them.
The Ministry of Education also wrote Kuhes Council, asking it to review the fees.
Kuhes Council members met on December 22 2021 and resolved to withhold students’ examinations result if they failed to settle balances. The council further resolved to maintain their tuition fees at $5,722.58 per academic year.
“Following this decision, I now write to advise that you are required to settle all your outstanding fees balance by the 31st December 2021, failing which the results of your examination will not be presented to Senate for consideration. This is in line with the rules and regulations of the university,” the letter reads.
“You will recall that you were allowed to sit all your examinations during the past two years because the Ministry of Education had intervened and requested the university to allow you to sit the examinations as we waited for council’s decision on your request,” it adds.
One of the students complained that the deadline was too close considering that the fees are on the “higher side”.
Tuition fees for each student are $5,722.58 per academic year. Each student is also required to pay between $70 and $200 per month for accommodation; $420 for medical cover per annum; $150 for medical council; $30 per annum for students union and $10 for identity cards. This is according to a letter from Unima dated January 4 2021.
Both Ministry of Education and Kuhes Council did not respond to our questionnaires.
