By Pempho Nkhoma:
President Lazarus Chakwera on Thursday presided over graduation of the 6th congregation at Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) in Thyolo where 551 students graduated with certificates, diplomas and degrees in various programmes.
Speaking at the ceremony, President Chakwera, who is also the Chancellor for MUST, challenged the newly graduating students to be productive for the nation to benefit from investments made through their education.
“You must inspire Malawi to move from a nation of consumers to a nation of producers. Today you are graduating from one of the most productive universities, we expect you to be productive because wherever you go, the world will judge the potential of MUST through you,” he added.
The President also commended MUST for contributing to the country’s socio-economic development through fields such as; entrepreneurship, digitisation, innovativeness and agriculture.
MUST Council Chairperson, Boyd Luwe said since MUST opened its doors in 2014, the institution increases student enrollment, offer more undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, conduct cutting-edge research, and venture into entrepreneurship.
“I am happy to report that from 2014 to date, our student population has grown from 150 to over 5,200; our academic offerings have expanded from 3 undergraduate programmes to 27, and from 2 postgraduate programmes to 21, including PhDs.
“In 2014, we were only offering face-to-face undergraduate classes, but today, we also offer Open and Distance e-Learning (ODeL) and weekend programmes.
We now admit generic students, full economic fee-paying students, and mature entry students. Our profile of postgraduate programmes, which was only at two in 2014, continues to grow and now has over twenty programmes,” he added.
Luwe disclosed that the MUST Endowment Fund, which was established in 2021, to ensure that all students regardless of background are able to complete their studies, now stands at around K7 billion such that 120 needy students were supported last year alone.
The 6th congregation graduation was held under the theme: Aligning skills and knowledge with industry and community needs.
The graduands were comprised of 406 males and 145 females.
