The Thinking Malawian

Education is an investment, and securing funding for the same can be challenging for vulnerable students. In Malawi, student loans by the Higher Education Students’ Loans and Grants Board (HESLGB), are a popular means to finance higher education. If you are a first-time applicant, all you need to do is to state your parents’ financial standing, pay a sizable processing fee, and once the board determines, a loan is approved or not. That’s how many professionals we see today have financed their studies since the board came into existence in 1985. But while this disbursement approach is ideal given the economic stamina of many Malawians, its drawback is that it doesn’t place some responsibility on the receiving student. That is why when one needs a loan for the next semester, basing it on academic performance, particularly grades, it would make students use it prudently. This approach is ideal because it rewards academic excellence and provides deserving students with the fina...

The aura of the headline above may have stimulated you to read this article because of the way it has been presented or who has presented it to you.   That’s the ultimate goal of persuasion; stirring you up to like or dislike something. But as that isn’t enough, the credibility of the one persuading you to give a thumbs up or down to something matters most. As Malawi prepares for the September 16 General Elections, there’s something we must keep our eyes on. Our focus shouldn’t just be drawn at podium machinations by political actors, but the political messaging on social media. If you are a regular social media user, you must have come across videos of children saying something to do with politics or current state of affairs, especially the economy. There are some unknow social media users who now use children to stimulate others into liking or disliking certain politicians or individual parties in general. So far, I have watched at least five videos of children on s...