| Abstract: | Christian private higher education institutions in Malawi are established
to address the dire need for higher education of qualified Malawi’s
populace who are left out due to the acute shortage of space in the few
existing public universities. Approximately 20,000 students qualify for
university education every year, and yet the two Malawian public
universities can only absorb about 8,000 students per year. For example,
in 2008, only 38.1 percent of the students who passed Malawi School
Certificate of Education were admitted into public universities. This
means that 61.9 percent of the students eligible for higher education
could not be admitted due to limited space (Ministry of Education,
Science and Technology, 2009). Again in 2013, 10,328 candidates passed
the University of Malawi Entrance Examinations, but only 1, 905
candidates were selected to continue their studies at the university
(University of Malawi, 2013). At Mzuzu University, another public
university in Malawi, had 5,161 candidates who qualified for entry into
its programs in 2011, only 366 were selected to study at the university
(Muzuzu University, 2011).
The scenario above therefore justifies the introduction of private
universities to complement the efforts that the government is making.
While it is a fact that the increasing number of private institutions is
providing access to higher education to many eligible students, the
spontaneous introduction and/or opening of such institutions poses a lot
of challenges as regards the quality of education that they offer. There is
always that urgency to open the institutions, and it appears that adequate
planning is not given a thought. In some cases, these Christian higher
education institutions develop as a reaction to a situation which is
basically perceived as doing the prospective students a “favor”, but in
most cases, the students are given a raw deal. Institutions are so much in
a hurry to start running without putting in place the necessary amenities.
These institutions are characterized by low quality infrastructure,
inadequate staff, equipment, teaching and learning materials, and other necessities. For instance, one institution that was part of this study
started without adequate classrooms, hostels, library, science laboratory
equipment, and many others. Initially, the institution was sharing
resources with a secondary school, and the resources were not even fit
for university education. Much later, the proprietors closed the
secondary school and the university took over the premises completely.
Even though the situation has improved and keeps on improving, the
institution still has a few more things to accomplish in order to meet all
the requirements laid down by the National Council of Higher Education
in Malawi.
The pattern is the same for several other Christian private institutions
that have been established in Malawi so far. Some have turned secondary
schools into universities while others have turned primary school
teachers’ training colleges into degree granting institutions, while others
turned offices into universities. This paper argues that spontaneous
introduction of Christian private higher education institutions affects the
quality of education that such institutions provide. There is a correlation
between proper planning of the establishment of institutions of higher
education and the quality of education that the institutions can offer.
Therefore, there is need for adequate planning if the private higher
education institutions are to offer quality and credible education, thereby
gaining the confidence of the members of the general public, as well as
the accrediting bodies of higher education. |
