CoM sets out on delinking path
College of Medicine (CoM) principal Mwapatsa Mipando yesterday said they have set up a technical team and hired EY, an audit, tax, transactions and advisory services firm, to help them come up with a strategic plan for a new university.
This follows an announcement by the University of Malawi (Unima) Council last month that it has resolved to delink CoM, Kamuzu College of Nursing and The Polytechnic from Unima.
Mipando said this on the sidelines of CoM 26th anniversary celebrations.
He said they were hopeful that a task force will be constituted soon and consultation on the matter will begin and “a determination will be made on how the whole process will be conducted.”
“It has always been our aspiration and vision to become a university and we have been making consultation for the past two years, presenting what we want to be.
“Much as we do not have more details, we are assured that the three colleges will be delinked from Unima and that it shall have Chancellor College as the remaining part,” said Mipando.
He said the delinking process will be significant as it will provide a window for the college to grow to bring in other stakeholders to sit on its council.
“Other stakeholders will play a bigger role in transforming the college into a unique university, will bring in more programmes, redefine ourselves and be more relevant to the nation and challenge ourselves in global ranking,” said Mipando.
In a separate interview, The Polytechnic registrar Moses Mwenye said the college is waiting for guidance and terms of reference from a task force that will be appointed by government to oversee the delinking process.
“Until that task force is put in place, it will be difficult to come up with real strategies because they may turn out not to be what they ought to be.
“Otherwise, people are getting ready for meetings and consultations that will be taking place. We understand that there will be a lot of things to be done, including paperwork, but as of now, it is not clear how the process will be like,” he said.
Commenting on the matter, KCN registrar Lloyd Kambwiri said the college is still waiting for direction from the independent task force on the process.
“The information that we have is the same as the one you have. Like they indicated in the press release, the independent task force is to oversee the delinking process.
“As of now, we are still part of Unima until that task force is constituted,” he said.
Public Private Partnership (PPP) Commission chief executive officer Jimmy Lipunga advised the colleges to be innovative and redefine their future so that they remain relevant.
CoM has graduated over 700 doctors since 1991. n
