The Catholic University of Malawi (CUNIMA) has pleaded for corporate support for needy students enrolled in private universities in the country.
Speaking during a fundraising dinner and dance organised to support needy students at the university last Saturday, CUNIMA Chaplain, Fr. Kondwani Mwenegamba, pleaded for support from the corporate world to support less privileged students in private universities.
“We have a misconception out there that every student enrolled in a private university comes from a well-to-do family, but that is not true. In private universities, we do have students who are coming from poor families, and they struggle to meet their needs,” said Mwenegamba.
Fr. Mwenegamba added that the private universities are there to complement government efforts in providing tertiary education, hence the call.
“Due to other factors, we find that in public universities, where people perceive that they have more needy students, they have students coming from high schools and well-to-do families, and their cost of meeting their education needs is less because such institutions get funding from the government,” added Father Mwenegamba.
In conjunction with the university chaplain, the Dean of Students at the Catholic University, Enwood Chirambo, urged more well-wishers to come to the rescue of students in private universities in need of support for their tertiary education.
Chirambo added that universities like CUNIMA also need corporate support for students willing to study programmes that are not offered by public institutions of higher learning.
“For example, here at CUNIMA, we have some programmes that you cannot find at any other university in the country, so if you are coming from a poor family but you are willing to study such programmes, people would perceive you as the son and daughter of rich parents,” said Chirambo.
Each year, the Catholic University of Malawi organises fundraising activities that are aimed at mobilising resources for needy students. However, with the high numbers of needy students enrolled at the university, many quit their studies.