ON QUOTA, DESERVING STUDENTS

On quota, deserving students BY ANANIYA ALICK PONJE From the day the media disseminated the news that the University Council had re-introduced the controversial quota system of selecting students into the University of Malawi, I have been looking forward to finding some new relevant, convincing information that may ultimately justify why quota should be re-introduced and what is wrong with the current merit system. I have come to observe that most of the arguments supporting the re-introduction of quota system are the very same barring the fact that they only appear in different semantic touches. One thing that I have observed is that the pro-quota faction is trying its best to present as many arguments as possible while only circulating around the same point. I was reluctant to comment on this delicate issue since it was last brought forward but now I have failed to fight the impulse to say something. Maybe before anything else, let me point out that the so-called national cake as university education is now being referred to does not belong to any particular region. From many of the arguments raised by those who support the re-introduction of quota system, one would be compelled to believe access to university education is planted in a certain region where the citizens of the region are the first priority when it comes to access to the same. Most of the arguments clearly nullify the fact that there is competition. As a matter of fact, university education is there to be competed for. No one holds it. Access to university education is like a race: you don’t carry a competitor to the finishing line because he will not make it on his own. Instead you prepare him thoroughly so that he clinches the medal. In Malawi, there are some cultural traditions that propel the lives of different peoples in different parts of the country. There are areas where residents only concentrate on agriculture; other areas where residents only concentrate on trade and other areas where education is their only hope. There are still some areas where for some reasons, residents just shun away from education without any other hope. For instance, I come from Chikwawa and if you ask me, I will tell you that almost three-quarters of students in the district do not proceed to secondary education. It is a common phenomenon in the district that education is not valued at all. Personally, I have met children who never went any further than standard one and this should be absurd. Of course, one may argue that those that fail to proceed to secondary school automatically remove themselves from the picture. But the point I am trying to drive home is that those few who work hard in areas where education is less valued should be allowed to access university education. It is a mockery to hard-workers to see their colleagues who never deserved to be in the university find their way into the same because of quota system. I received my secondary education in Nsanje district. My desire was to go to the university and I worked hard to fulfil it. We were given the same resources and in the same environment but I was the only one who made it to the university out of about 130 pupils in my class. The problem is that some students have a strong disregard for education. I am not boasting, but rather I am trying to present a broader picture of what it means to be deserving and to be undeserving. The issue of qualification seems to be misunderstood by many people. They mostly argue that about 4000 students qualify for university selection but only around 900 are admitted due to limited space. Here it is clear that bed space is the controlling factor. Now since there is limited space such that not all those who qualify for university selection should make it, is quota the best option? With limited space in our public universities, what is wrong with merit? I should think that because there is limited space, then competition should really be stiff so that the best make it. The aspect of ‘deserving’ does not automatically imply equality. There are some who are more deserving than others; that is a fact. For instance, for a male student to be admitted into the university, he needs to score an aggregate grade of 60 percent and above. This means that one who has scored 80 percent is more deserving than one who has scored 70 percent. Therefore, first consideration falls on the one with 80 percent. Then an opportunity may trickle to the lesser performer if there is enough space. If there isn’t enough space, automatically the one with 70 percent is left out. It does not call for quota to redress the balance because it already redresses itself. Since it has finally been divulged that the current merit system ‘favours’ the Northern Region, does it also mean that the Northern Region is more developed than the other regions? I do not think so! There is national cohesion since graduates work everywhere across Malawi, hence developing everywhere. Let us bring in the highest level of our reasoning and face the facts with a sober mind. Taxpayer’s money should not be an issue here. Is university education the only part where taxpayers’ money is involved? In fact, even if it is the only part, it does not necessarily imply that every taxpayer has to have his child in the university. Or does it? You do not pay tax because you are a Southerner and suchlike, but because you are a Malawian. And tax has nothing to do with education, otherwise if that was the case, then there were many areas where distribution of resources would be equal owing to the fact that everyone pays tax. Or are those who do not have children to send to the university going to be exempted from tax. I don’t think so! So I do not find any convincing reason why quota system should be re-introduced. The system is only bound to bring tribal differences in Malawi, our beloved country. I don’t think it is good to judge a person based on where s/he comes from instead of the contents of his/her brain. In 1993 after a thorough evaluation, the courts found that selecting students to the university basing on their areas of origin, other than merit, was discriminatory, and consequently abolished it. I don’t think they erred anywhere. And I don’t think there is anything now that can reverse that noble decision. Quota system nullified the essence of hard work, it brought divisions along regional or ethnic lines; it resulted into many people changing their names and districts of origin just to find their way to the much coveted university. In the education system where success is supposed to be given out purely on merit grounds, quota compromises the situation and the best lack all conviction. Even Nicholas Dausi admitted that most students in his area fail to work hard in class because what they think about is early marriage. And it would be ridiculous if these people were awarded university education despite their meager performance. Is quota system the best way of addressing this problem instead of sensitizing people on the significance of education? Such students will maintain their poor performance because they are safe in the knowledge that quota system will save them. The most practical thing of ensuring that there is equity as regards university education is by making sure schools have the same teaching and learning materials. It is ridiculous to argue that some schools perform better than others because they have all the necessary equipment and staffing. Why can’t government just level the playing field instead of punishing hard-workers because of working hard? Is it very difficult for government to ensure that all schools in Malawi have the same opportunities when it comes to teaching and learning? But still, I fail to come to terms with the assertion that some ‘deserving’ students fail to make it because of limited resources. Is there any region in Malawi which has more resources than the others? And do students from particular regions receive their education only in their areas of origin? Imagine this: statistics show that there is only one district secondary school in Chitipa with the rest being community day secondary schools and private secondary schools. Where are the so-called resources? Last year, the University Council and academics that consisted of deans of faculties as well as heads of departments at the University of Malawi disagreed over this controversial system which the council wanted to use. The academics feared that the system might result into mediocre students being recruited into the colleges, thereby dragging education standards down and giving lecturers a tough time. And one wonders why the tune has been changed now.