THE SURVIVOR WITH A MORTARBOARD: A MALAWIAN GRADUATE’S STORY

Who is a Malawian Public University graduate?

UNIMA graduation, April 2025 (Credits: UNIMA Facebook Page)

Have you ever walked in the corridors of the University of Malawi (UNIMA) or any other public university as a student?

As we walk the corridors of Malawi's public universities, we are reminded of the resilience and determination of students who strive for excellence despite numerous challenges. From limited resources to financial constraints, these students persevere to fulfil their dreams of a brighter future.

After successfully being enrolled in various public universities for undergraduate studies, either as generic or mature students, many face hardships. Once enrolled, it is common for people back home to heap praises and focus on the belief that the student will come back home with "the paper" in the later years. Unlike in religion where faith is supreme, university students need extra necessities to help them run their day-to-day activities. These necessities are not limited to cooking flour, rice, groceries, and money for lunch and supper, especially for those residing in the school’s hostels.

Many students struggle to make ends meet at these institutions due to financial limitations, and again, psychological constraints caused by academic pressure. Some students complain of being redirected to programs they never wished to study. Others lament about academicians who appear inconsiderate to their academic needs, but that is a story for another day. There have even been tragic trends where universities, particularly the University of Malawi, have lost aspiring graduates to suicide. Almost every academic year since 2022, students have forced themselves into the silent palace. It is the struggles they face at the institution that prompt them to seek an escape route from the difficulties.

The Malawi government tries to support generic students by subsidising education costs and providing loans. Despite this financial help, many generic students still struggle to access basic needs which prompt some to withdraw or seek public assistance through social media. Those who are bold enough open up, and help is given by friends and philanthropists. The problem arises when students fail to speak up about their struggles, whether financial or academic which lead to a silent suffering. The end result is often either suicide or reckless engagement in drugs and substances, especially marijuana and alcohol.

It even gets harder for those who enrolled as mature students; they are not given any financial support from the government—no loans and subsidies. Unless they are employed by institutions willing to sponsor their education, they must shoulder everything themselves. Mature students are expected to worry less, at least in the eyes of generic students who assume that their peers are financially sound due to their admission requirements: proof of work experience, financial statements, or sponsorship letters. Some generic students even ask for financial help from these mature students for luxuries, not knowing that even mature students are unsure of how they will source their own funds. The emotional burden placed on the experienced student, and the silent power that financial expectations hold over them, separates them from their younger counterparts. Some leave behind families that rely on them financially. When they compare their earnings to tuition fees and other necessities, it is a nightmare. Still, they soldier on, and face battles brought upon by academicians in their quest to be certified for the academic award.

Some UNIMA BACCS class of 2024 graduates (Credits: Dr. Chavinda)

To graduate from these institutions, resilience is essential, and most importantly God's grace for many. Despite atheism claims, many cry for help in the name of love. As one big family per UNIMA, arms are stretched to pull each other out of messes: financial, academic or psychological. A degree is a testimony that one attended university, but the real lessons gained from these institutions are not recorded on the transcripts. Those transcripts are strictly information of courses attended in a classroom or an academic required research. The most important lessons from university are stored in the graduate’s brain, the true centre of the degree.

Some argue that a degree is just a paper, but they never understand the struggles and efforts invested to earn it. The lessons learned are the reason people boast about having studied at a public university, not just for academic achievement but for the life lessons gained from interacting with people of different backgrounds in the country, and sometimes from across the globe. A degree is not just a paper, it is a testimony of resilience, hope and determination.

 A sigh of relief as student is ready to be conferred his Bachelors in 2025 (Credits: UNIMA Facebook page)

Behind every graduation photo is a story of survival. A story of skipped meals, silent cries, sleepless nights, postponed dreams and quiet courage. The mortarboard is not just worn on the head, it rests on the weight of everything a student had to endure to earn it.

Last Man standing (Credits: UNIMA Facebook page)

They are not just graduates. They are survivors, the last kind standing with a mortarboard.

A question for your mind, who is a graduate from a public university in Malawi?

Leave the comments below.