NCHE asks the public to scrutinize if registered learning institutions’ programmes are also accredited

By Duncan Mlanjira

National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) is appealing to all prospective students, parents and guardians to access and scrutinize lists of all registered and accredited private learning institutions if their academic programmes are also accredited in Malawi before enrolling.

NCHE said this in a public notice that detailed all registered and accreditation higher education institutions in line with the National Council for Higher Education Act (No. 15 of 2011), that gives mandate to the Council to regulate higher education institutions in Malawi.

The notice says all private higher education institutions are required to register with NCHE all new programmes and satellite centres before admitting students or commencing operations in those centres.

“The Council would like to assure the public that it is doing everything possible to ensure that only properly registered private higher education institutions are operating and offering registered programmes.

“Both public and private higher education institutions are required to go through the process of accreditation,” says the public notice.

It is in this vein, NCHE urges the public to scrutinize the private institutions first to confirm if their programmes are accredited as well by contacting NCHE through Private Bag B371, Lilongwe 3.

Their phone contacts are 01 755 884/ 01 755 872 and email is info@nche.ac.mw/ceo@nche.ac.mw.

According to Section 29 of the NCHE Act, qualifications awarded in respect of programmes of instruction by an accredited higher education institution shall be recognised as comparable and of equivalent merit to similar qualifications awarded in respect of programmes offered by other accredited higher education institutions in Malawi and internationally.

NCHE details registered institutions whose programmes are accredited in Malawi such as the University of Malawi (College of Medicine; Kamuzu College of Nursing; he Polytechnic and Chancellor College).

Others are Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST); Mzuzu University (MZUNI); Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR); Malawi College of Accountancy (MCA); The Catholic University of Malawi (CUNIMA); DMI St John the Baptist University.

Also Nkhoma University (NKHUNI); Malawi Assemblies of God University (MAGU); Daeyang University; Malawi Adventist University (MAU); Pentecostal Life University (PLU); Management College of Southern Africa (MANCOSA) (open and distance learning only).

And African Bible College (ABC); University of Livingstonia; Exploits University (EU); University of Lilongwe (UNILIL); Millennium University (MU); Lake Malawi Anglican University (LAMAU); Unicaf University and Blantyre International University (BIU).

The programmes that failed accreditation include: PhD in Applied Sciences (Public Health Engineering) at the Polytechnic; Bachelor of Social Science (Social Work) at Chancellor College; Bachelor of Library and Information Science, Bachelor of Science in Information Science and Communication, Master of Science in Information Science (Mzuzu University).

Failed accreditation programmes at Share World Open University (SWOU) are nine: Bachelor of Business Administration; Bachelor of Science in Business and Finance; Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Development and Management; Bachelor of Science in Managing Rural and Community Development.

And also Bachelor of Science in Public Health; Master of Arts in Human Resource Management; Master of Business Administration; Master of Managing Rural and Community Development and Master of Public Health.

For Blantyre International University (BIU), they are: Bachelor of Counselling Psychology; Bachelor of Actuarial Science and Bachelor of Tourism and Hospitality management

Exploits University: Diploma in Management Studies; Master of Accounting and Auditing; Master of Supply Chain Management; PhD in Business Administration.

Exploits University inherited programmes from Riverton University, which also failed accreditation and they are: Bachelor of Accounting; Bachelor of Business Administration; Bachelor of Marketing; Bachelor of Arts in International Business; Bachelor of Community Development; Bachelor of Information Technology and Bachelor of Arts in Human Resource Management.

Skyway University’s are: Diploma in Nutrition and Food Security; Diploma in Public Health; Diploma in Human Resources Management; Diploma in HIV and AIDS Management; Diploma in Community Development.

Others for Skyway are: Diploma in Disaster Risk Reduction and Management; Diploma in Accountancy; Diploma in Business Administration; BSc. Community Development; BSc. Public Health; BA Project Management; BA Human Resources Management; Bachelor of Business Administration; Bachelor of Accountancy.

Catholic University has two unaccredited: Bachelor of Education (Geography) and Master of Environmental Studies while Pentecostal Life University has 11 — Master of Business Management; Bachelor of Arts in Ministry; Bachelor of Arts in Christian Leadership and Change; Bachelor of Arts Development Studies.

Others for Pentecostal Life are Bachelor of Arts in Entrepreneurship and Development Studies; Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication; Bachelor of Arts in Human Resource Management; Bachelor of Arts Public Administration; Bachelor of Social Sciences; Bachelor of Arts in Banking and Finance and Bachelor of Micro-Finance & Cooperative Management.

African Bible College has two — Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication and Master of Divinity while Unicaf University has one unaccredited — PhD (Information Systems).

Currently there are 22 registered colleges and universities pursuant to sections 36 and 20 (1) of the NCHE Act that are working towards accreditation and these are: Domasi College of Education; Nalikule College of Education; Malawi College of Health Sciences; Mikolongwe College of Veterinary Sciences; Malawi College of Forestry and Wildlife; Malawi Institute of Journalism (MIJ).

Others are: Malawi Institute of Tourism (MIT); Marine College/ Civil Aviation Training Centre; Colleges regulated by Nurses and Midwives Council of Malawi and Medical Council of Malawi; Montfort Special Needs Education College; Staff Development Institute.

As well as National College of Information Technology (NACIT); Eastern and Southern Africa Management Institute (ESAMI); Guidance, Counselling and Youth Development Centre for Africa; Jubilee University (JU); ShareWorld Open University.

Also Skyway University; University of Blantyre Synod; Zomba Theological College; Evangelical Bible College of Malawi; Islamic Open University and Marble Hill University.

And there are 4 provisionally registered higher education institutions pursuant to sections 20 (2) of the NCHE Act that are working towards full registration — Mwimba College of Agriculture; Africa University of Academics, Research and Entrepreneurship;;International College of Business and Management and University of Hebron.