UNIMA to Offer Short Courses in Laboratory Techniques
20 September, 2021 by HEC Media in
This is a semester long course commencing on 8 November, 2021 and will run for 9 weeks. Teaching and learning will be done online, except during practical sessions, when students will be required to go to Chancellor College, Zomba. The course is being supported by the Strengthening Higher Education Access in Malawi Activity (SHEAMA) program, implemented by Arizona State University with funding from United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Laboratory technicians are an indispensable human resource in laboratories in both industry and academic institutions. However, it has been observed that most industries and academic institutions are serviced by untrained laboratory personnel but with enormous responsibilities and high expectations placed on them. The situation is more glaring at secondary school level since employment of qualified laboratory technicians is deemed to be a luxury and as such only a selected few conventional and private secondary schools can afford that. This, unfortunately, renders the teaching of science less effective. Laboratory attendants in the industry are expected to acquire the necessary skills on the job but this approach assumes the workplace has a proper induction training programme for such technical work: sadly, for many organisations and industries this is not the case.
The short course in laboratory techniques, therefore, aims at developing skills for MSCE school leaversfor employment as laboratory assistants in chemistry laboratories in industry and public and private academic institutions. Specifically, the course aims at building capacity in:
• Malawi School Certificate Examination Certificate holders in laboratory techniques so as to improve their employability potential.
• laboratory assistants currently working in schools and industries in laboratory techniques so that they can competently assist chemistry teachers and laboratory managers in their line of work.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Applicants should be holders of MSCE or O-Level certificate or IGSCE or GCE or its equivalent with passes in Physical Science/Chemistry and Mathematics. Applicants with other qualifications but relevant working experience in a chemistry laboratory environment may also be considered. Those from SHEAMA targeted districts of Karonga, Kasungu, Salima, Balaka, Mulanje and Chikwawa, especially adolescent girls and young women and persons with disabilities, are particularly encouraged to apply.
TUITION FEES AND SCHOLARSHIPS
The total fees payable per student for the short course is MK200,000.00. Scholarships will be made available to a few candidates who will meet the programme-set criteria. For more information, please contact the ODeL Director at Chancellor College, through [email protected] or the Director of Scholarships and Grants at SHEAMA, through [email protected]
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Applicants should fill in an application form which can be downloaded from Chancellor College website under ODEL programmes https://www.cc.ac.mw, or can be requested through e-mail from: [email protected]. The filled forms should be sent to the following address by Saturday, 2nd October 2021:
The Head of Department, Department of Chemistry, University of Malawi P.O. Box 280, Zomba
Or by email [email protected] and copy [email protected]
Selection list will be published on Chancellor College website at https://www.cc.ac. mw by Friday, 15 October 2021.