PANAPRESS
Panafrican News Agency
Malawi's main college to remain closed as varsity stand-off continues
Blantyre, Malawi (PANA) - Chancellor College, the main constituent college of the University of Malawi, at the centre of an academic freedom wrangle that has paralysed the university, will remain closed despite President Bingu wa Mutharika's directive to have it opened by 4 July.
However, another college - the Polytechnic that also joined the wrangle in solidarity - has announced it will open 4 July.
In a brief joint statement, released during the on-going talks to end the impasse, the University Council special taskforce and the Chancellor College Academic Staff Union (CCASU) said the talks "were progressing well" but nothing has been concluded yet.
"Students must not report to campus until further communication," said the statement.
A source privy to the discussions said the sticking point in the discussions is the sacking of CCASU acting president, Dr. Jessie Kabwila-Kapasula, CCASU legal advisor, Dr. Garton Kamchedzera, CCASU Secretary General Franz Amin and the man at the centre of the controversy, Dr. Blessings Chinsinga.
"Council insists that the four must remain fired but we are saying it is against both Malawi labour laws and International Labour Organisation statutes to be victimised for doing union work," said the source, adding that "whatever these people were doing or saying, they were saying or doing them on our behalf, so it will be great betrayal for us to return to class while our colleagues are being victimised."
Lecturers at Chancellor College, based in the eastern town of Zomba, downed their tools 16 February, four days after one of their number - political science associate professor, Chinsinga - was summoned by Inspector General of Police Peter Mukhito over a classroom example he had given his public policy class.
The youthful academic had reportedly said the insurrections that toppled the governments of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak of Tunisia and Egypt respectively are caused by policy failures like those that led to the persistent fuel crisis in Malawi.
One of his students, a suspected police informant, reported him to authorities, thus the summons from the police chief.
When news of Chinsinga's interrogation by Mukhito spread, his colleague’s downed tools, saying the police chief's action was an infringement of academic freedom. They vowed not to return to class until they were assured of unfettered academic freedom and gotten an apology from Mukhito.
All university colleges in Malawi threw their weight behind their Chancellor College counterparts, with lecturers at the polytechnic going a step further by downing tools in solidarity.
Students too backed their lecturers’ quest for academic freedom and demands of an apology from Mukhito.
However, President Mutharika, who is both Chancellor of the University of Malawi and Commander-in-Chief of the Malawi Police Service, threw his weight behind his police chief, saying Mukhito cannot apologise to lecturers "who are teaching revolution".
This statement infuriated the situation further, with students reacting by holding violent demonstrations leading to the eventual closure of the two colleges.
In a mea culpa, Mutharika made a special address to the nation, assuring the academics of "non-derogable academic freedom" and directed that all those involved in the wrangle must work towards the re-opening of the colleges on 4 July.
The University Council insisted that the four fired lecturers, who got an injunction restraining the University Council from implementing their sacking, remain fired.
The University Council special taskforce met the Polytechnic academic staff earlier in the week where it assured them of their academic freedom in writing. It also assured the academics that none of them will be victimised because of the stand-off.
Polytechnic's re-opening is not cast in stone. Simbirashe Mungoshe, Secretary General of the Polytechnic Academic Staff Welfare Committee (PASCOW), said the lecturers will meet before the college reopens.
"We are following developments at Chancellor College closely," Mungoshe said, adding "we don't want anybody to be victimised because of this."
-0- PANA RT/BOS 1July2011
However, another college - the Polytechnic that also joined the wrangle in solidarity - has announced it will open 4 July.
In a brief joint statement, released during the on-going talks to end the impasse, the University Council special taskforce and the Chancellor College Academic Staff Union (CCASU) said the talks "were progressing well" but nothing has been concluded yet.
"Students must not report to campus until further communication," said the statement.
A source privy to the discussions said the sticking point in the discussions is the sacking of CCASU acting president, Dr. Jessie Kabwila-Kapasula, CCASU legal advisor, Dr. Garton Kamchedzera, CCASU Secretary General Franz Amin and the man at the centre of the controversy, Dr. Blessings Chinsinga.
"Council insists that the four must remain fired but we are saying it is against both Malawi labour laws and International Labour Organisation statutes to be victimised for doing union work," said the source, adding that "whatever these people were doing or saying, they were saying or doing them on our behalf, so it will be great betrayal for us to return to class while our colleagues are being victimised."
Lecturers at Chancellor College, based in the eastern town of Zomba, downed their tools 16 February, four days after one of their number - political science associate professor, Chinsinga - was summoned by Inspector General of Police Peter Mukhito over a classroom example he had given his public policy class.
The youthful academic had reportedly said the insurrections that toppled the governments of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak of Tunisia and Egypt respectively are caused by policy failures like those that led to the persistent fuel crisis in Malawi.
One of his students, a suspected police informant, reported him to authorities, thus the summons from the police chief.
When news of Chinsinga's interrogation by Mukhito spread, his colleague’s downed tools, saying the police chief's action was an infringement of academic freedom. They vowed not to return to class until they were assured of unfettered academic freedom and gotten an apology from Mukhito.
All university colleges in Malawi threw their weight behind their Chancellor College counterparts, with lecturers at the polytechnic going a step further by downing tools in solidarity.
Students too backed their lecturers’ quest for academic freedom and demands of an apology from Mukhito.
However, President Mutharika, who is both Chancellor of the University of Malawi and Commander-in-Chief of the Malawi Police Service, threw his weight behind his police chief, saying Mukhito cannot apologise to lecturers "who are teaching revolution".
This statement infuriated the situation further, with students reacting by holding violent demonstrations leading to the eventual closure of the two colleges.
In a mea culpa, Mutharika made a special address to the nation, assuring the academics of "non-derogable academic freedom" and directed that all those involved in the wrangle must work towards the re-opening of the colleges on 4 July.
The University Council insisted that the four fired lecturers, who got an injunction restraining the University Council from implementing their sacking, remain fired.
The University Council special taskforce met the Polytechnic academic staff earlier in the week where it assured them of their academic freedom in writing. It also assured the academics that none of them will be victimised because of the stand-off.
Polytechnic's re-opening is not cast in stone. Simbirashe Mungoshe, Secretary General of the Polytechnic Academic Staff Welfare Committee (PASCOW), said the lecturers will meet before the college reopens.
"We are following developments at Chancellor College closely," Mungoshe said, adding "we don't want anybody to be victimised because of this."
-0- PANA RT/BOS 1July2011
