Pentecostal Life University (PLU) is demanding students to pay K100,000 in order to participate in an online graduation.
Registrar of the University Dr. Austine Owen Luhanga, has confirmed that only students who will pay the money will be allowed to attend the graduation physically or online.
Luhanga justified the K100,000 graduation fee saying it covers all the expenses including gowns for the event. He, however, added that not all students have paid the fee so far.
Initially, the University set 15th May 2020 as the day for the graduation to award degrees to students who satisfied the University’s academic requirements.
However, the graduation was postponed following the Malawi Government directive to close all schools and colleges as a measure to prevent the further spread of the novel Coronavirus.
The PLU has been engaging both the government and the graduating students in order to set a new date for the graduation.
Currently, the university plans to hold an online graduation and to later hold a physical graduation after schools reopen but only those who have paid K100,000 as agreed in the initial arrangement are to be eligible to participate in both the online and physical graduation.
Meanwhile, PLU has rejected claims that students at the university wait for three months after graduation in order to receive their degrees.
“This is false and surprising because contrary to the lies being spread, PLU management and the student’s representatives agreed that the students will get their degrees immediately after the graduation ceremony,” he said.
By Philip Dzikanyanga
