NEWS:

15 Jul, 2015


Delegates who attended the Opening Ceremony
Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) through the Directorate of Quality Assurance organised a two-day orientation workshop on issues of quality assurance for LUANAR Management, Deans, Directors, Deputy Deans and Heads of Departments.

Speaking on Tuesday 15th July 2015, during the official opening of the workshop at Wamkulu Palace, LUANAR Vice Chancellor, Professor George Kanyama Phiri said for LUANAR to achieve a status of World Class University and achieve its mission, there is need to implement quality assurance management along all the five pillars of its 2012-2017 Strategic Plan.`

Professor Kanyama Phiri recognised problems that institutions of higher learning are facing and that LUANAR is obliged to train competent graduates with requisite skills to help solve numerous problems confronting agriculture and natural resources sector in the country.

“LUANAR gave recognition to the importance of raising our standards by restructuring to include the Directorate of Quality Assurance with the purpose of systematically designing measures to improve quality of teaching, research and service delivery of the University,”

He said LUANAR has forged ahead in developing several documents and guidelines to enhance quality management in the institution and cited Performance Management System, Research and Outreach Policy as well as The Quality Assurance Policy as some of these documents.

He further said that as an institution of higher learning LUANAR needs to be recognised through international consensus on good management practices with the aim of ensuring quality service to its clients.

“To be recognised as conforming to internationally standards LUANAR aspire to be ISO certified, accredited and ranked as one of the top Universities in Africa,” He said.

Professor Kanyama Phiri said recognising the need for quality service provision, LUANAR Management enlisted Malawi Bureau of Standards to facilitate the training so as to enable LUANAR attain certification in quality management in the near future.

In his remarks, Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) Director General Mr Davlin Chokazinga commended LUANAR for entrusting them to facilitate the workshop.

“ We take this as a big step in the implementation of quality management systems in the country , because many people have a feeling that quality management systems are only applicable to manufacturing industries, which is not the case,” said Mr Chokazinga.

Apart from MBS, the training is also co-facilitated by The National Council for Higher Education (NCHE).


Written By: Patricia Nkhoma Ngwale