Kisa Kumwenda, Program Manager at Civil Society Education Coalition

Education activist has commended National Bank of Malawi for sponsoring tuition fees for university students from various public universities across the country with

One of the country’s renowned education activist, Kisa Kumwenda, who is the Program Manager at Civil Society Education Coalition, made the remarks during the graduation ceremony for some of the beneficiaries of NBM Plc scholarship from Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS) on Wednesday, 12^th April, 2022 at Chancellor College of Malawi Great Hall.

“We are delighted to witness these students graduating today because the National Bank of Malawi came to their rescue. This is a very commendable job by the bank. The number of students unable to access education due to lack of tuition fees is still very high in the country but with the support from private sector such as banks and other stakeholders, we can reduce the percentages of the students unable to access education.

“Each year, we hear of students who withdraw from various public universities in the country as a result of lack of tuition fees.  Government on its own does not have the capacity to support all the university students, but coming in of institutions like National Bank of Malawi with the support will help to develop the whole country because we believe that an educated society is good for the development of the country,” said Kumwenda

Kumwenda also requested other players in the private sector and non-profit organisations to emulate what National Bank of Malawi is doing in ensuring that more young people have access to education in the country. He has urged the students that graduated following NBM Plc sponsorship to utilise the skills they have attained to contribute to the development of the country.

Commenting on the matter, NBM’s Product Development and Strategy Manager, Weluzani Kumkwezu, said the financial institution has been sponsoring students from various public universities in the country for the past decade as part of the institution’s corporate social responsibility. He disclosed that the institution is committed to invest in the development of the country through the contribution to the education system

“National Bank of Malawi has been sponsoring tuition fees for university students for the past decade. As a financial institution, we believe in making sustainable investments. Through the scholarships that we provide to these students, we believe it will contribute to human capital development and eventually the development of the country in general,” said Kumkwezu.

One of the beneficiaries of the scholarship who was pursuing Bachelor of civil engineering (transport), Tarcisio Malele, has applauded National Bank of Malawi for the support throughout his university journey. He has vowed to utilise the skills he has gained at the university to make a difference in the country,

“National Bank of Malawi started sponsoring my tuition fee when I was at the verge of withdrawing from the university as my family could not manage to cover the tuition fee. My life completely changed after receiving the scholarship and after getting this paper, I now believe that everything is possible. I will use the skills I have attained to make a difference in the community I live as a way of giving back to NBM Plc,” said Malele.

The 15 students under the sponsorship of National Bank of Malawi that graduated on Wednesday were pursuing various disciplines including business communication, industrial laboratory technology, education business studies, civil engineering (transport), environmental health, commerce - internal auditing and arts journalism.