By Bringt Malenga
The Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST) has been ranked as the best university in Malawi by the Times Higher Education (THE) inaugural Sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings in 2023.
MUST, just nine years old, is the only Malawian university based on teaching, research and societal impact.
And MUST Vice Chancellor, Professor Address Malata in an interview said the development is a motivation and an inspiration.
According to a statement issued by THE, MUST has been ranked 29th best university in Sub-Saharan Africa.
THE says Sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings have been developed specifically to assess the impact of universities in addressing some of the toughest challenges faced in the region.
“We use carefully calibrated indicators to provide comprehensive and balanced comparisons across three vital areas: teaching, research and societal impact. The data include results from the first sub-Saharan Africa student survey, which gathered the opinions of more than 20,000 students,” reads a statement.
It adds that the development work for the ranking was undertaken in consultation with university leaders across sub-Saharan Africa, in a project initiated by a consortium of African and international higher education organizations and companies, which included Botho, Maverick and Mycos.
“The project was led by Ashesi University in Ghana, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation. THE independently managed all data collection and calculations. This first edition ranks 88 universities across 20 countries. An additional 33 institutions are listed because they provided data but did not meet our eligibility criteria to receive a rank.”
In her reaction, Professor Malata said being ranked the top university in Malawi is not only an honour but humbling as well, considering MUST has well competitors who have been around for decades.
