Malawi President Peter Mutharika on Friday inaugurated the Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST), the southern African country's first university devoted exclusively to science.
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The university will offer five-year bachelor's degree programs in biomedical studies, chemical engineering and metallurgical engineering, as well as a master's of science innovation program, according to university council chairman Prof. John Saka.
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The university, the brainchild of late President Bingu wa Mutharika, will also offer programs in traditional medicine.
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It will have four schools: the Malawi Institute of Technology, the Ndata School of Climate and Earth Sciences, the Academy of Medical Sciences and the African School of Science and Culture, the latter of which is still under construction.
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Mutharika described the university as a "milestone" in Malawi's quest to promote education as a means of enhancing macroeconomic growth and development.
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"The Malawi government realizes that there is a direct link between international competitiveness and invention on one hand and innovation and technology development on the other," Mutharika said at the inauguration ceremony.
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"In fact, globally, it is recognized that science and technology plays a critical role in transforming the lives of people in society... there is no country in the world that has developed or is rapidly developing without applying the principles and practices of science and technology," he added.
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He said the new university would put great responsibility on the staff and students to prove to the nation that investment in science and technology education can make a difference.
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"The industry has a critical role to play if this university is to make a positive mark on the country," the Malawi leader urged.
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Education Minister Emmanuel Fabiano described the new university as an institution that would offer hope for the future and development of Malawi.