THE UNIVERSITY OF MALAWI GRADUATE TRACER STUDY 1996

By S.N Zembere and M.P.M. Chinyama

University of Malawi-The Polytechnic, P/Bag 303, Chichiri, Blantyre 3 MALAWI

Abstract

This report discusses the results of the tracer study of the graduates of the University of
Malawi who graduated between 1987 and 1995. The main objective of the tracer study
was to examine the changes in the career pattern of the graduates inorder to provide a
basis of evaluation of the current programmes of the University of Malawi. A similar
study for the University of Malawi was carried out in 1988 for graduates of 1968 to 1987.

The University Malawi awarded the first certificates to its deserving graduates in 1968.
By 1987 the University of Malawi had awarded seven thousand, five hundred and
fourteen (7514) degrees, diplomas and certificates. Between 1987 and 1995, three
thousand, nine hundred and thirty-four (3934) students graduated from the University of
Malawi. During this period there was a general increase of about 2% in the enrollment in
the University. On the other hand, during the same period, study provisions in the
University generally declined. The courses offered generally changed in all constituent
colleges of the University of Malawi towards more job-oriented. It was observed that the
opportunities of securing a job by graduates declined over the years and the period of
seeking employment had increased. Though most of the study programmes in the
University were practice-oriented, most graduates were employed initially in jobs not
linked to their training due to job scarcity. Many graduates only moved to jobs related to
their training later, resulting in high number of graduates who had changed employment.

1.0 INTRODUCTION

The University of Malawi comprises five constituent colleges with a central

administration situated in Zomba. The colleges are Bunda College of Agriculture in
Lilongwe, Chancellor College in Zomba, Kamuzu College of Nursing in Lilongwe,
College of Medicine and The Polytechnic in Blantyre.

From its humble beginnings in the early 60’s the University has been the only institution
of higher learning in the country. As such it has been entrusted with the responsibility of
providing highly trained personnel required both in government and industry, carry out
research and provide leadership in all aspects of national development (University of
Malawi, 1989).

The University of Malawi awarded the first certificates to its deserving graduates in 1968.
By 1987 the University of Malawi had awarded seven thousand, five hundred and
fourteen degrees, diplomas and certificates (7514). Up until 1988, no systematic study
had been carried out to determine the influence of its programmes in meeting human
resources needs of Malawi society and economy.

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A tracer study to shed some light on the above was launched in July 1988 by the then
Vice Chancellor Dr. J.M Dubbey. The tracer study whose implementation was made
possible by Human Resource and Institutional Development (HIRD) project of the United
States of America covered the period from 1968 to 1987.

The current tracer study has covered the period from 1987 to 1995. The main objectives
of the tracer study were to: investigate the transition process from higher education to
work; shed light on the course of employment and work over a five year period after
graduation; analyse the relationships between higher education and work in a broad
perspective which includes the fulfillment of personal goals such as job satisfaction and
objective measurement like job position, income, job security and the type of work; find
out what factors are important for professional success of graduates taking into account
personal factors like gender, work motivation, acquired qualification during course of
study and labour market conditions; evaluate on the basis of the experience and views
of graduates, central aspects of the University, including resources, facilities and
curriculum and get feedback for their improvement; and identify key aspects of the
continuing professional education of graduates, and themes and kinds of courses,
including extent, cost, location, reasons for participation, proposals for University
courses. This tracer study had special significance. First, it provided a continuation of the
process of evaluation of the performance of the University of Malawi and secondly the
results will form the first ever comparative studies with the results from ten other similar
studies on higher education in Africa. Selected Universities in Africa, include five from
Nigeria, one from Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Malawi.

2.0 METHODOLOGY

Between 1987 and 1995, three thousand, nine hundred and thirty - four students (3934)
graduated from the University of Malawi. Out of this, two thousand were targeted for this
study. Having completed the preparation of the questionnaires, twenty questionnaires
were sent out to carefully selected graduates of the University of Malawi for pre-testing.
Each degree field of study in the University of Malawi was represented in the pre-test
and generally respondents felt that the questionnaire was fairly clear and
straightforward though too long. The questionnaire captured all the information required
to meet the objectives and it was therefore acceptable.

The researchers then solicited for addresses from all the graduates of the University of
Malawi who graduated between 1987 and 1995 through radio and newspaper
advertisements. The researchers also visited offices in the city of Blantyre collecting the
addresses of graduates. Personnel Managers of different organisations and companies
which are known for employing large number of graduates were also asked to send the
names of all graduates employed by their organisations.

In total, one thousand, nine hundred and seventy-five (1,975) questionnaires were sent
by post to graduates, representing 98.7 percent of the targeted population. Properly
completed returned questionnaires totalled five hundred and sixty three (563). Eighteen
uncompleted questionnaires were received plus twelve partially completed
questionnaires from graduates who had either a Diploma or were still unemployed. In
total five hundred and seventy-five (575) questionnaires were returned to the
researchers representing rate of return of 29.4 percent.

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Most questions in the questionnaire invited the respondents to respond on a five point
scale with one representing very good to five representing very bad. The results were
entered into the computers using D-Base and then converted to SPSS for analysis.
Using year of graduation, sector of employment and Bachelor’s degree field, the results
were aggregated accordingly.

3.0 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

3.1 ENROLMENT AND STUDY PROVISIONS

The number of years of study for the degree programmes in the University of Malawi
vary from four to six years. Since the tracer study covered those graduating between
1987 and 1995, the results showed that the number of respondents on the year of first
enrolment decreases from 6 percent in 1991 to zero in the period 1993 to 1995. It is
likely that the majority of students who enrolled in this period were not yet through with
their studies in 1995 and could not participate in this study. The results however,
showed that there was a general increase of about 2% in the enrollment in the University
of Malawi during the period under review.

Since the University of Malawi has five constituent colleges, some factors had very big
impact upon the decision on which of the colleges to enroll at. The factors which were
considered were rated on a scale from 1 representing very important to 5 representing
not at all important. The results showed that regardless of the year of graduation, sector
of employment and the degree field except for Engineering, Nursing, and Bachelor of
Science (BSc.), the following factors were considered very important and are presented
here in the order of their importance: reputation of the college; admission standards and
entry grades; areas of specialisation provided; and practice oriented study programme.
For Engineering, Nursing and BSc. degree fields, admission standards and prior grades
were considered as highest influencing factors followed by reputation of college,
practice- oriented study program and areas of specialisation. Availability and quality of
accommodation, availability of scholarships and advice by parents had some influence in
the choice of the college. Attractiveness of the town and vicinity to home had very little
significance on this choice.

Graduates were asked to rate the study provisions and conditions they experienced at
their colleges, using a scale of 1 to 5 representing very good and very bad respectively.
The results, showed that there were very small differences in study provisions and study
conditions in the constituent colleges of the University. Irrespective of the degree field,
year of graduation and sector of employment, contacts with fellow students was rated
very high(79 percent). Other factors which were considered good were: teaching quality
of lecturers(61 percent), structure of degree programme (55 percent); accommodation
facilities on campus(48 percent); quality of buildings (45 percent); catering facilities on
campus; equipment and stocking of libraries; academic advice offered; assistance for
final exams; testing/grading system of examinations. Though the overall picture of
teaching quality of lecturers was generally good in the whole University, the Engineering
field indicated lowest amongst all degree fields. This was probably due to fewer highly
qualified (PhD holder) lecturers in this field. Laboratory facilities in general were
considered poor.

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It was observed that there was very little chance by the students to influence University
policy. Students’ participation in research projects was rated very low except for
Agriculture and Nursing. The possibility of individual structuring studies was also rated
low. Other areas in which the University was poorly rated included: quality of equipment
in laboratories; availability of technical equipment; supply of teaching material; provision
of supervised practical work; and opportunity of contact with staff out of class. There
was an indication (Table 1) that almost all study provisions and study conditions except
for possibility of individual structuring studies, quality of lecturers and opportunity of
contact with staff out of class, had deteriorated over the years and most notably were
catering facilities on campus, availability of technical equipment, supply of teaching
materials, equipment and stocking of libraries, and quality of equipment of laboratories.

Table 1: Assessment of Study Provisions and Study Conditions by Year of

Graduation (percent; responses 1 and 2)

Year of Graduation
87-89 90-91 92-93 94-95 Total
Assistance/advice for your final exam 39 44 41 34 39
Opportunity of contact with staff out of class 26 34 26 35 31
Academic advice offered 48 33 34 42 38
Chances to participate in research projects 30 22 21 24 24
Teaching quality of lecturers 64 62 53 64 60
Structure of degree programme 60 58 54 48 54
Testing/grading system of exams 47 37 43 37 40
Possibility of individual structuring studies 17 23 18 19 19
Provision of supervised practical work 40 43 43 28 38
Contacts with fellow students 76 86 75 77 79
Chance to influence university policy 9 7 5 10 8
Availability of technical equipment 42 47 31 29 36
Quality of equipment of labs 44 44 35 26 36
Supply of teaching material 45 42 35 27 36
Equipment and stocking of libraries 53 49 35 34 41
Accommodation facilities on campus 62 62 45 34 48
Catering facilities on campus 49 52 32 28 38
Quality of the buildings 54 53 39 37 44

3.2 GRADUATE EMPLOYMENT AND WORK

3.2.1 Beginning of Searching for Employment

Most companies do not offer employment to new graduates until the final examination
results are known. Knowing that it takes so long to secure a job and the anxiety to
receive the first pay after graduation, most of the graduates start searching for
employment way before graduation. The majority of graduates, 76 percent of the
respondents started the search for employment before graduation and 11 percent
began searching for employment after graduation.

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Interestingly enough about 13 percent of the respondents did not seek employment. The
largest number (70 percent) of those who did not seek employment were from Nursing
and 48 percent from education. Graduates from these fields are normally employed by
the government and therefore do not struggle to get a job.

The study revealed that in all fields, on average, it took about four months after
graduation to secure a job. In education, the average duration was about two months
while Public Administration graduates took on average six months representing the
longest period before securing a job after graduation. The results showed a general
increase in the duration of seeking employment after graduation from 1987 to 1995.
There were more job opportunities for those who graduated in 1987 - 1989 and the job
market seemed to be getting flooded with much less job opportunities in 1994 - 1995
period. This flooding was also shown by the number of employing agencies, institutions
and companies contacted by the graduates before getting a job. An average of about
seventeen contacts were made by 1994 - 1995 graduates compared to about seven
contacts for those who graduated between 1987 - 89.

3.2.2 Recruitment Criteria of the Employer

Factors which seemed to be important for a graduate of the University of Malawi to be

employed were field of study, which was the most important with 80% of the
respondents ranking it highly. This was followed by the main focus of subject area or
specialisation with 64 percent, personality 46 percent and the grades at the University.
From the graduates point of view, grades at the University was only rated 27 percent
and did not seem to be a very important factor. This contradicts with the employers’ view
point who normally attach a lot of importance to the grades.

Most organisation train their employees in specific areas of their operations. On

average, 43 percent of the respondents indicated that they received initial training for
their first jobs after graduation and about 41 percent did not receive any training. This
training was mostly on-the-job. It was interesting to note that those who graduated
between 1987 - 1989, about 66 percent of them received training. Those who graduated
in later years 1990 -1991, 1992 -1993 and 1994 -1995 only 62 percent, 56 percent and
44 percent received training respectively. This decreasing trend could be attributed to
the fact that many courses taken at the University may had changed to being more job-
oriented. The training requirements for different sectors differ quite significantly. All law
graduates respondents received on the job training and the engineering employment
sector had the highest percentage of both on the job training (58 percent) and off-job
courses, 29 percent. The least was education sector where only 26 percent received
on-job training and only 2 percent off-job training.

There were higher percentages of the on-the job training for law and engineering, public
administration, nursing and commerce than other fields. This could be due to the fact
that these sectors of employment need some specific types of specialisation.

Nearly 50 percent of the respondents had changed jobs while the remaining 50 percent
had not. About 97 percent of the cohorts had changed jobs from one to three times.
Those who graduated between 1987 and 1989, on average, 54 percent had changed
jobs. On the other hand, of those who graduated between 1994 and 1995, 42 percent
have changed jobs. It became clear that changing of job among other things was a

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function of time. Since the 1987 - 1989 graduates had stayed for a longer time in
employment they had more opportunity to make cross-overs.

Other reasons that influenced more change of employment in these years were the
availability of jobs (more job opportunities) and sometimes poor working conditions.
Engineers seemed to have changed employment more than any other group up to five
times. In fact 2 percent of the engineering respondents changed employment five times.
This fact could be attributed to either poor remuneration, graduate expectation being
high and employment opportunities in this field being better than in other fields. The
nursing graduates all changed jobs once, this happened because there was a
requirement that the first graduates who once worked in government hospitals as
diplomats should go and teach in private hospital nursing schools, after graduation.

3.2.3 Duration of Work in Present Employment and Section of Employment

It was observed that most of the graduates had been in the present employment for
almost three years. This picture was true for the degree field, year of graduation and
sector of employment. Most of those who graduated in 1987 - 1989 had been in the
present jobs close to five years, while 1990 - 1991,and 1992 - 1993 graduates had been
working for almost four and two years respectively.

The results showed that 67 percent of all graduates of the University of Malawi were
employed in public institutions. The private sector employed 31 percent and only 2
percent were involved in self employment and other activities. Lack of initial capital to
start own business, lack of confidence to venture into self employment, and generally
parents expectation to be supported after they have done their part in educating their
children may be compelling reasons for the new graduate to seek employment as
opposed to self employment. It was important to note that up to 3 percent of engineers
went into self-employment. Among the 1994 - 1995 graduates, 56 percent, a drop of
17.5 percent from an average of 73.5 percent for 1990-93 were employed by the public
and at the same time 42 percent, i.e. 18.5 percent up from an average of 23.5 percent
for 1990 were absorbed by the private sector. This might have been due to attractive
remuneration package offered by private companies.

The majority of the University of Malawi graduates were employed in the education
sector. Most of these graduates filled vacancies in secondary schools as teachers.
About 13 percent were employed in the agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector, while
the non-profit making organisations and the public administration sectors each
employed about 8 percent of the graduates. Apart from the law degree field, graduates
from all other fields were found to be joining the education sector. For example the,
1990-1991 graduates, 26 percent joined the education sector, 1992-1993 graduates 28
percent and 1994-1995 graduates 35 percent joined the education sector respectively.
Jobs in economic sectors of employment related to most of these degree fields were
becoming scarce, as a result few graduates got absorbed in education as they sought
more appropriate jobs. The education sector is ever increasing and that is why job
opportunities are readily available.

In general, it was apparent that the sector of employment absorbing most of these
graduates were related to their degree fields except for Bachelor of Social Science which
seemed to fit anywhere. About 52 percent of the respondents from the agriculture
degree field were employed in agriculture, forestry and fisheries sector. Banking, finance

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and other commercial services employ 51 percent of graduates from commerce degree
field. About 78 percent of education degree field are employed in education while 66
percent of the engineering degree field are employed in the mining, energy, water
supply, construction and the production industry. For the Public Administration
graduates, 56 percent were employed in public administration sector while the remainder
44 percent were employed in other sectors.

3.2.4 MAJOR AREA OF WORK ASSIGNMENT

Table 2, shows that major area of work assignment for graduates varies but up to 32
percent of the respondents were involved in teaching and training, followed by 8 percent
whose major work assignment was in management. The percentage of graduates in
teaching and training was high because of the high number of respondents from the
Education degree field and the Nursing graduates. Advisory services, accountancy and
finance absorbed 6 percent each of the total number of graduates, but of course as
indicated already most of the graduates that accounted for this were from commerce
degree field.

About 5 percent of the respondents reported that their major area of work assignment
was in planning or organisation and project management.

It was surprising to note that very few graduates were involved in such major work
assignment as environmental engineering, systems analysis, installation/commissioning,
materials management, estimating and costing. A few of the graduates were involved in
research development, and data processing.

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Table 2: Major Area of Work Assignment by Bachelor’s Degree Field
Bachelor’s Degree Field
Agric Com Edu Engi Arts La Nur Admi BSc BSo Tot
m c n w s n c al
Supervision of 6 2 3 11 9 0 10 4 5 2 5
production 31 13 76 9 27 0 90 11 36 19 32
Training/teaching 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Preparatory/supervisor 1 0 0 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
y 11 4 0 3 18 10 0 11 0 8 6
Construction/design 0 0 0 11 0 0 0 0 9 1 3
Advisory 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 4 5 1 2
services/consulting 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 14 13 4
Maintenance & repair 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Controlling 7 2 3 4 0 0 0 0 9 7 4
Data processing 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Production 10 4 4 6 36 0 0 36 0 4 8
Research & 10 2 0 4 0 0 0 0 5 4 4
development 3 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
Estimating/Costing 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Management 0 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
Marketing 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Market Research 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14 0 1
Material Management 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 21 0 4 2
Measurement & 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 4 0 4 1
testing tech 6 0 3 6 9 0 0 4 0 12 5
Installation/commisioni 7 4 5 4 0 0 0 7 0 7 5
ng 1 46 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 6
Standard/licencing 0 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Personnel affairs 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 5 4 2
Planning of function 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Planning and 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
organisation 0
Project management 7 4 5 4 0 0 0 7 0 7 5
Accountancy, finance 1 46 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 6
Settle/prepare acts
Systems analysis 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 5 4 2
Environmental 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
engineering
General office work 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0

Total 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100)

3.2.5 Size of the Company/Organisation

The results showed that organisation/companies which employ most of the graduates
from the University of Malawi had on average a total number of employees in excess of
three thousand. The largest employer of graduates of University of Malawi was the
Ministry of Education, with close to eleven thousand graduates followed by companies

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employing arts graduates and agriculture with a mean of 5000 and 4000 employees
respectively.

Although the results showed that an average of 40 graduates were employed in a

company, this was quite high. From experience with local companies, the researchers
felt that 40 graduate in a company was an realistic. Very few companies can boost of
having these many graduates. The average was that high because of the large number
in the education and agriculture ministries.

On average, 71 percent of all graduates employed full time did not have subordinates
under them, only 29 percent had subordinates. This showed that it took quite a long
time for the graduate from the University of Malawi to take responsibility over other
employees. In fact as stated previously, most graduates received on the job – training for
a minimum of two years before being appointed to a substantive post. Looking at
subordinates by year of graduation it was interesting to note that only 15 percent of
those who graduated between 1987-89 had subordinates. There was a strange trend
regarding the number of subordinates by year of graduation. The results showed that
those who graduated in 1990-1991, 24 percent of them had subordinates, while 27
percent of those who graduated in 1992-1993 had subordinates. Of those who
graduated 1994-95, 42 percent have subordinates. This could be an indication that
recent graduates of the University of Malawi had quickly moved into responsible
positions in their respective companies. One could be drawn into believing that the
quality of the graduates was better. It was also possible that the courses offered were
more job oriented and practical. This was more evident in agriculture, nursing,
engineering, public administration and Bachelor of Social Science and Science degree
fields.

The largest number of graduates having subordinates was in Agriculture, with 67

percent, followed by nursing at 49 percent and about 40 percent for engineering and
administration.

As indicated earlier, most graduates preferred full time employment as opposed to self
employment. The results showed that 99 percent of the respondents reported to be in
full time employment. This was true for the bachelor’s degree field, year of graduation
and sector of employment. All graduates who graduated between 1987-1989, were
employed full-time, similarly those who graduated between 1990-1991, 99 percent were
employed full time. For 1992 to 1995 graduates only 2 percent of the total number were
not in full time employment. This could be attributed to the fact that the job market was
becoming flooded and difficult to secure a job.

The majority of graduates from University of Malawi, in fact 82 percent, did not engage
themselves in any other gainful activities apart from their full-time employment. Only 15
percent of the graduates reported that they had other side jobs. In fact, it was possible
that the majority of the 15 percent could be engaged in small businesses which was
becoming normal in Malawi. They might have been engaged in tobacco farming, private
schools, mini buses, stationary business, consultancy and even registered contractors.
Graduates from Law, Nursing, Bachelor of Science degree and Engineering fields
seemed to have high percentages of side jobs. Most of these graduates were employed
by the Public Sector, hence lower salaries which in turn tended to encourage these side
jobs.

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From the data provided by the graduates the highest salaries obtained were those
reported by the Law graduates with a mean of seven thousand Kwacha (K7,034),
followed by Commerce graduates (K5439.8) and engineering graduates (K5,397) with a
mean of five thousand four hundred Kwacha (K5,400)respectively.

The lowest salaries being those received by graduates from agriculture with a mean of
two thousand seven hundred and ninety-six Kwacha (K2,796.7). The mean gross
income therefore, for the graduates of University of Malawi is three thousand eight
hundred Kwacha (K3,812). The monthly gross income from other sources other than
employment indicated a mean of two thousand nine hundred sixty-three Kwacha
(K2,963).

The mean monthly gross income for those who graduated between 1987-89 was slightly
higher than five thousand Kwacha. Those who graduated between 1994-95 the mean
gross income per month was less than three thousand Kwacha. In fact it was almost 50
percent of those who graduated between 1987-89. Considering the mean gross income
by sector of employment, the engineering sector pays better salaries with a mean of five
thousand five hundred Kwacha (K5,509) followed by commerce and health sectors each
with a mean gross income of four thousand nine hundred. The education sector was the
lowest with a mean monthly gross of two thousand four hundred Kwacha (K2,431).

From the results of the survey, it seemed that fringe benefits tended to increase with
the length of service. For example 93 percent of all graduates who graduated between
1987-89 received free housing/housing allowance while only 60 percent of those who
graduated between 1994-95 had housing benefits. It was comforting to note that 77
percent of all graduates received housing allowance/free accommodation, 52 percent of
the respondents indicated that they received retirement benefits and 40 percent received
free Health Care Services. There was, however, 10 percent of all the respondents who
did not have any fringe benefits and unfortunately the majority of these were those
employed in the education sector. Only 19 percent of the respondents had receive
education/training benefits, of which 27 percent of this were those employed in the
commerce sector. Only 23 percent of the graduates indicated that they were provided
with transport benefits.

3.3 PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

It is clear from the results that the use of professional knowledge acquired during the
course of study differed from one degree field to another. However, the knowledge of
English was highly rated, (84 percent) across the board particularly in Law, Arts and
Public Administration. Arts, Commerce, Mathematics and Statistics were also rated
highly by Commerce, Engineering, Agriculture, Nursing and BSc and BSoc. degree
fields. This observation was true irrespective of the year of graduation and sector of
employment. Mathematics with an average rating of 57 percent, Planning and
Management 54 percent, Social Science and rural development with 45 percent rating
followed by economic and management with 44 percent. It was clear from the results,
that English and Mathematics were important when it came to the use of professional
knowledge and skills.

It was quite interesting and encouraging to note that nearly 85 percent of the
respondents used the knowledge and skills acquired during their studies at the
University of Malawi. In fact 26 percent of these used their acquired knowledge to a very

10
high extent, while 33 percent indicated that they used the knowledge and skills to a
lesser extent. About 13 to 15 percent of the respondents indicated that they did not use
the knowledge and skills they acquired during their studies to a very high extent.

3.3.1 Expected Abilities and Attitudes

It was observed from the study that the most important abilities and attitudes required of
the graduates were sense of responsibility, self confidence, reliability, and willingness to
perform, commitment, ability to solve problems, initiative, willingness to learn, ability to
coordinate, ability to work under pressure, ability to cooperate and leadership qualities.

It was interesting to note that Nursing and Law graduates although few of them
responded, their ratings for the various abilities and attitudes expected of them were
very high than the rest of the graduates. For example the ability to express oneself in
writing was rated 100 percent by both Law and Nursing graduates. Similarly, reliability,
ability to work under pressure, independence, sense of responsibility and initiative, the
ratings were high.

3.3.2 The Usefulness of Elements of Study Programme to Current Work

The graduates were asked to look at the study programme and rate the usefulness of
each element of study programme to their current work using a scale of 1 to 5. The
elements of interest were, course content of their major field of study, variety of courses
offered, opportunity for specialization, research emphasis and work experience.

The course content of the major study and the variety of courses offered proved very
useful to the graduates current work and were rated highly. Research emphasis and
work experience were poorly rated with an arithmetic mean of 3.60 each. It could be
that research at an undergraduate level was not given much prominence. The poor
rating in work experience could be due to the fact that many undergraduate students
finished their courses in the University of Malawi without industrial experience with
exception of some from Polytechnic and Bunda college of Agriculture.

In general quite a large number of graduates felt that they were able to realise the career
expected at the time of their graduation. Those who responded that they realised their
career expectation to a very high extent reached 24 percent while 32 percent responded
quite positively on realisation of their career expectation. It was unfortunate though that
between 15 and 24 percent indicated that they did not realise their career plans. Most of
those who did not realise their career plans at the time of graduation were from Bachelor
of Science, Arts, Agriculture and Social Science degree fields. The same pattern
emerged for the sector of employment .and year of graduation.

3.3.3 Appropriateness of Position and Status to Level of Education.

Graduates were required to evaluate their present position and their status and match
that with their attained level of education. About 75 percent of the respondents
indicated that their education qualifications were appropriate to their positions and status
accorded to them by their organisations. The remaining 25 percent felt that their
positions and status did not match their qualifications.

It was observed that those whose qualifications did not match their positions and status
were those who are employed in jobs not closely related to their training. This is true

11
and expected of graduates from other disciplines who have found themselves in jobs
completely unrelated to their training.

3.3.4 Reasons For Taking Up Employment Rarely Linked To Studies.

Graduates who could not find jobs closely linked to their studies, 36 percent were from
Bachelor of Science degree field, 27 percent from Bachelor of Social Science, 32
percent from agriculture and 15 percent from education and arts field. The graduates
indicated that they were influenced by many factors such as better career, they could not
find any job close linked to their studies hence accepted the first alternative available,
high income and provision of part time work.

It was apparent that the percentage of those graduates working in jobs not linked to
their studies showed a steady increase with years of graduation. For example, of those
who graduated in 1987-89, only 9 percent could not find jobs closely linked to their
studies, while those who graduated 1994-95 a staggering 34 percent could not find jobs
closely linked to their studies. The reasons for this trend has already been pointed out
as job market flooding and the decline of the economy. Most graduates who could not
get jobs closely linked to their studies were employed in the education sector.

3.3.5 Satisfaction With Characteristics Of Professional Situation

Generally graduates of the University of Malawi were satisfied in their professional
endeavours/situation. They were satisfied in their use of the qualifications obtained,
working in demanding positions, job security and opportunity to benefit society. From
their responses, it was apparent that most graduates irrespective of year of graduation
and sector of employment, they were not satisfied with their income. Other
characteristics the graduates were not satisfied with were fringe benefits, equal
treatment of employees, equipment of the workplace and promotion prospects. One
could conclude that fringe benefits in general were accorded to those who had worked
for many years for the organisation. Promotion prospects usually depend on the
abilities and performance of the individual.

University of Malawi graduates like graduates from other universities attached great
importance to certain characteristics of their occupation. These included the possibility
of using acquired knowledge, job security, chance of doing something useful for society,
good career prospects, opportunity for pursuing continuos learning and good working
atmosphere and the possibility of working in a team.

It was interesting to note that most graduates did not attach a lot of importance to having
a lot of free time or chances of political influence.

3.4 GENERAL INFORMATION

3.4.1 Year Of Birth By Bachelor’s Degree Field (Percent)

Generally the study showed that 87 percent of the graduates of university of Malawi who
graduates between 1987 and 1995 were born between 1963 and 1971. This was true
whether by Bachelor’s degree field, year of graduation and sector of employment. Most
of the graduates finished their university education in their twenties. They left the
university as mature people.

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3.4.2 Level Of Education Of Parents By Bachelor’s Degree Field (Percent)

Graduates of the University of Malawi were asked the highest level of education attained
by their parents. It was interesting to note that 30 percent of the parents of the
graduates had less than primary Education, 21 percent had secondary or vocational
Education. The respondents indicated that 57 percent of their mothers had less than
primary education, 22 percent completed primary education. Those who enrolled in
college without degree was 4 percent. Very few mothers of the graduates had
bachelor’s degree or advanced degree. Whether by year of graduation or sector of
employment the results were the same. It was a common belief for many years that
education was for the male child only. For the female child her place was the kitchen.
That belief is no longer there. Infact the government had introduced free primary
education to correct the situation. With the assistance from USAID (United State Aid for
Informational Development) another programme known as GABLE (Girls Attainment for
Basic Literacy in Education) was introduced. This programme was aimed at
encouraging girls to study beyond primary education.

3.4.3 Gender By Bachelor’s Degree Field (Percent)

Graduates were asked to indicate whether they were male or female. It is saddening to
note that 92 percent of all respondents were male while the remaining 8 percent are
females. Out of eighty graduates from engineering only one was a female. It was only in
nursing where 70% of the respondents were females. The sector of employment
indicated that 19 percent of females were employed in the Health Sector and 10 percent
were employed in the Public sector.

3.4.4 Current Contacts to Alma Matter

It was clear that there was very little connection/contact between graduates of the
University of Malawi with the colleges once they have graduated. Irrespective of
Bachelor’s degree field, the year of graduation or sector of employment, 70 percent of
the respondents indicated that they had no contacts whatsoever. To foster contacts
between University colleges and its graduates, 8 percent of the respondents suggested
a newsletter while 6 percent indicated that graduate meetings would foster
connections/contacts between graduates and the university. It was unfortunate that the
university of Malawi has no Newsletter where the university would up date its graduates
on latest developments taking place in university. In other universities the graduates
also contribute articles on their success, promotion or even change of employment.
Sometimes they have class reunions which foster contacts.
University administration and unions must consider the possibility of having a
Newsletter.

3.5 CONCLUSION

Although the number of respondents to the questionnaires was low about 29.4 percent,
a lot of valuable information had been gathered.

During the period under review, 1987 to 1995, there was a general increase of about 2
percent in the enrollment in the University. This increase had some negative effects on
study provisions due to lack of growth in terms of resources within the University. The
University of Malawi, in general, except for few courses, had provided very little chances

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to students to participate in research, to influence university policy and the possibility of
individual students to structure their studies. The University had, however, maintained
other study provisions such as students interaction, teaching quality of lecturers,
accommodation facilities on campus, at a reasonable level. Despite the fact that the
University of Malawi is one institution, graduates had varied reasons for enrolling at a
particular college among which were the reputation of the college, admission standards
based on student grades, practice-oriented study programmes, and areas of
specialisation provided. The courses being offered had generally changed in all
constituent colleges of University of Malawi towards more job-oriented. This had
enabled most of the graduates to work with little or no initial training after graduation.
For those that had received some training, it was been mostly on-the-job.

The opportunities of securing a job by a graduate had declined over the years.
Searching for employment starts way before graduation for most of the graduates. The
period of seeking employment had increased from an average of 2.5 months in 1987-89
to an average of 4.3 months in 1994-95. Consequently, this had increased the number
of contacts that a graduate had to make before securing a job from an average of seven
contacts in 1987-89 to an average of seventeen contacts in 1994-95.

Most of the graduates had changed jobs more than once. A high percentage of those
who had changed jobs once or twice were graduates who graduated between 1992 and
1995. This was because recently most graduates were employed initially in jobs not
linked to their training due to job scarcity. They only moved to jobs related to their
training later, hence the high number of graduates who had changed employment.

The majority of the University of Malawi graduates were employed in the education
sector (public employer). Most of these filled vacancies in secondary schools as
teachers. Very few of the graduates were not on full-time employment. Although the
number of graduates who were not full-time had increased over the years, the increase
was not significant. Malawian graduates generally find it unusual to engage themselves
in other side of jobs besides theirs full-time employment.

Different degree fields fetch different salary packages. This also depends upon the
sector of employment. The majority of the graduates had gross income from full-time
employment for those employed in the public sector pathetically low. Unfortunately,
coupled with low salaries, they did not have substantial fringe benefits. Most of them
enjoyed only housing and retirements benefits.

The use of professional knowledge and skills acquired during studies was a very
important factor in job satisfaction. This usage differed from one degree field to another
but in general, the graduates of the University of Malawi rated the use of professional
knowledge and skills as a very important factor. This was followed by the use of English
which is the official language in Malawi. This indicated that communication skills were
very important irrespective of the degree field. In addition to professional knowledge and
skills which graduates used, other abilities and attitudes which graduates of the
University of Malawi seemed to have indicated to be important in their professional life
included sense of responsibility, self confidence, reliability, ability to solve problems,
initiative, willingness to learn, ability to work under pressure and leadership qualities.

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The course content as well as the variety of courses offered proved very useful to
graduates current work. Quite a large number of graduates felt that they were able to
realise the career they expected at the time of their graduation, and in addition they were
generally satisfied in their use of the qualifications they obtained, working in demanding
positions, job security and opportunity to benefit society. Most graduates indicated that
they were not satisfied with their salaries fringe benefits, equal treatment of employees,
equipment of the workplace and promotion prospects.

Acknowledgement

This paper is based on the work funded under the Study Programme on Higher
Education Management in Africa, a special project of the Association of African
Universities. Financial support for the Study Programme was provided by the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs of The Government of the Netherlands and the Swedish International
Development.

References

University of Malawi, 1989

University of Malawi Graduates 1965-1987 and Employer’s Survey.

Faculty of Engineering University of Dar.es Salam 1993

University Education and Engineering Profession in Tanzania.

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