(NYASATIMES) Why ‘Northerners’ fill University of Livingstonia

Thursday, January 14, 2010

(NYASATIMES) Why ‘Northerners’ fill University of Livingstonia

Why ‘Northerners’ fill University of Livingstonia
By Nyasa Times
Published: January 12, 2010

A couple of times the Minister of Education, Dr George Chaponda (pictured) has claimed that the University of Livingstonia (UNILIA) is mostly filled by the Northerners. Through his statements, press release and a Malawi TV announcement, he has gone to the extent of asking the owners, Livingstonia Synod of the CCAP to explain this.

Since it is a church-owned university, I wish his question should have been why most students are Presbyterians! Unfortunately his focus is regionalist. This got my attention as a mere observer and upon reflection, I attempt to provide some possible explanation.

To begin with I have high respect of Chaponda because during this short time that he has been minister of education having taken over from Bingu wa Mutharika, he has passionately defended the quota system, re-introduced the education inspectorate (we know now which schools deserved closure!) and also ignored the recent graduation ceremony at Mzuzu University.

He has assured the successful candidates to national secondary schools that the demonstrating CCAP clergy are just wasting their time. I even saw a statement on Malawi TV with several question marks in red around the words on University of Livingstonia. This is a government minister who can relate a national secondary school to a private university.

The fact that some Malawians are quiet does not mean that they are happy with some of these moves. And just because the dragged quota debate is in their favour, don’t think all Southerners and Centrelers are happy with your defences Mr Minister.

There are new developments. I understand that this time, the Second Level class at the University of Livingstonia has relatively more students from the South and Centre. Otherwise initially most of them were from the north because of a number of reasons. May be most of them now managed to go for and got through the entrance examinations which I know are held countrywide.

With due to respect to the South and Centre, the northerners have been deprived of many services since independence and that has made some of them to work extra hard and move out of the situation. They therefore take advantage of any possible opportunity. It is a risk to be a pioneer student and some northerners did that when University of Livingstonia opened in 2005. The pioneer class at African Bible College in Lilongwe in 1991 had almost ten of the students from the north out of about 33. Both of these institutions had accreditation problems.

It is much easier to go to a school which is nearer given the economic and social demands of studies. May be some students in the north felt they really wanted some higher education and did not have the opportunity till one educational institution opened within their area so why not take advantage of that.

Northern Malawi saw the first university in 1999 when Mzuzu University opened. Until then all University of Malawi constituent colleges were concentrated in the centre and South. Thankfully the Muluzi administration turned the Mzuzu Teachers Training College into that university. This means anyone growing and learning in the north could only hear about a university for all those 35 years of independence! I first heard about a university in 1980 when I was in Standard 3 while living in Kaning’ina in Mzuzu. I was told that if I ever wanted to be in the university, I had to work hard.

University of Livingstonia (UNILIA) main campus is located at a place which is very difficult to get to by the Golodi Road. Its typography is not inviting for travel. While the climate is conducive to study, the place is not entertainment-friendly but largely for studies. It is a place for only those who want to sacrifice.

Someone somewhere wrote that there is a high sense of discipline at UNILIA. Some parents and guardians would not want to miss on that opportunity.

I think there is also the historical pride associated with UNILIA. Apart from many Malawians from the centre and the south who went through the Overtoun Institute and the now defunct Livingstonia Secondary School, one would agree that most northerners see Livingstonia as the pioneer of education in the country. Dr Kamuzu Banda and many influential Malawians went there. It is a beacon of pride hence some northerners would not want to lose that since it is in their territory.

One University of Malawi lecturer once said, “Ivyo Bingu wayamba ivi, vinipangiske kuti sono nkhajure Faculty yipya kukaya especially ku University of Livingstonia. That is our school kwamba kale” (What Bingu has started doing will force me to introduce a faculty at the UNILIA, that is our school from long time ago).

This leads me then to another related point which has to do with the inspiration those who have been there give to the younger ones. It is much easier to relate with an institution where your parents, teachers, doctors, politician so and so went to. For some people, UNILIA is in their blood they want to be associated with it till death.

On a different note, when the whole north (probably the whole Malawi) did not have any private secondary school, Northerners did when they introduced Phwezi Secondary School. It was a beehive of well learned Malawians who should have been teaching at the UNIMA but due to the politics of the time, they had to humble themselves and teach at this secondary school. Ask if the majority of students too were from the north!

Will Bingu’s planned University of Southern Malawi be for the whole nation? One wonders if the merit system will be used. Malawi Government needs to be reminded that democracy all over the world supports merit hence no one in a democratic nation should get scared by performance supported by meritocracy. I strongly agree with someone who has said, “Whoever supports the so called quota system benefits from it.” If merit is a value of the country, then there is no sin and crime.

Malawi Government should be appreciative of the efforts private institutions are making in educating Malawians. In my view I now suspect that the delays in accrediting some courses at the University of Livingstonia is linked to the government’s fear of the northerners dominating the education system in the country. I strongly believe that any academic institution in the country is educating Malawians for Malawi and the world.

I think there is some comfort in Lucius Banda’s new song which says “the country is led by the south, run by the north and financed by the centre” (not the exact words). Whether this is true or not is another matter but the song demonstrates that all Malawians have a part in developing the country.

Unless the Ministry of Education thinks that UNILIA (even if it had northerners only) and the north are there to contribute only to the north, they should learn to be more accommodative rather than making the outbursts that are angering Malawians.

***Views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily Nyasa Times. Anyone who has contrary views can email his/her article for publication on Nyasa Times.

Labels: EDUCATION, UNIVERSITIES, UNIVERSITY OF LIVINGSTONIA