According to Dr. Sunduzwayo Madise, the Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Malawi, he casts doubt on the claim that the Malawi University of Science and Technology (Must) is the true top-ranking university in the country. The Times Higher Education (THE), a British magazine specializing in higher education, has rated Must as the best performing university in Malawi in their 2023 sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings. The rankings highlight Must’s accomplishments in research, teaching, and societal impacts since its establishment in 2014.
Must Vice Chancellor Address Malata described the news as exciting and encouraging.
“We are just nine years old and we started from scratch. This is a big achievement considering that we have colleagues on the market that are much older than we are.
“Even at regional level, those that have been ranked ahead of us have been around much longer. Our challenge going forward is to maintain our high standards and improve on our service delivery in all aspects,” Malata said.
However, Madise disputes this ranking, suggesting that it is not definitive. He points out that the ranking only includes universities that voluntarily participated, and the University of Malawi did not take part.
In part wrote Madise on his Facebook page casting doubt on the new kid on the block (Must) displacing veteran universities in ranking:
“It’s important to state that this was an optional rating and the ranking is for the 88 universities that opted to participate. Obviously the University of Malawi did not participate.”
By making this argument, Madise indirectly implies that if the University of Malawi had participated, MUST would not have claimed the top position.
What say ye; Is MUST truly the best University in the country?
