By Deborah Madeya
The enrolment of people with disabilities (PWB) in Malawi’s public universities has fallen by 23.2 percent, a development disability rights organisations say depicts a broken education system.
Figures from the National Council for Higher Education (Nche) show that 73 students with disabilities were admitted to public universities this year, down from 95 in 2025.
The decline comes despite overall public university admissions rising from 14,175 in 2025 to 20,682 this year.
Nche spokesperson Priscilla Zikapanda acknowledged the decline but said the council had been committed to outreach efforts which emphasise inclusive higher education.
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Zikapanda said they hold meetings with stakeholders aimed at informing prospective students, including those with disabilities, about university application processes.
“We have a minimum of four secondary school teachers in each district and eight in cities who assist applicants through the process. They also conduct home visits for candidates with disabilities who are unable to travel to secondary schools. We will continue these sensitisation meetings nationally when the next application window opens,” Zikapanda said.
Mzuzu Disability Organisation spokesperson Shola Kaonga said the belief that persons with disabilities struggle to find jobs after graduating was discouraging many of them from pursuing higher education.
Kaonga said this needed to be discouraged
