WHILE Allan The Degree Holder, has been advocating for people to get degrees, a Malawian has gone a step further by demanding for a masters degree from the University of Zambia (UNZA) through the courts.
Susan Mkangama sued the University Council of Zambia demanding that it confers on her, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in strategic management.
If the council fails to confer the masters, she alternately wants the Lusaka High Court to order the council to refund her tuition fees with interest.
Ms Mkangama also wants the court to order the institution to pay her damages for loss of use of funds, inconvenience and mental anguish, among reliefs.
In a statement of claim filed in the Lusaka High Court, the plaintiff submits that she was at the material times interested to study or major in a Master of Business Administration with UNZA.
Around October 2019, she applied to UNZA for the purpose of being enrolled under the 100 percent online MDA in Entrepreneurship programme.
“By an email from the University’s administration dated October 22 2019, the plaintiff was advised that she needed to pay an application fee and submit scanned copies of academic documents,” the document read.
She submits that she tendered in the required documents and through a letter dated November 1, 2019, she was duly accepted after a careful review of her application.
On March 16, 2020, the school informed the plaintiff that Entrepreneurship programme had not reached the minimum number of students required to be opened for March 2020 term.
“The plaintiff was given the option of choosing from four alternative MBA programmes; MBA General, MBA in Finance, MBA in Management Strategy, MBA in Project Management,” the document reads.
Alternately, she was asked to wait until May 2020 in the event the MBA Entrepreneurship reached the minimum students needed for the term.
Ms Mkangama opted to pursue the MBA in Management Strategies and paid for it over the years.
But towards the end of her programme, through an email sent by Hebrayo Harerimuna on April 22, 2022, she was told that some of her admission documents were missing and she needed to meet the requirements before being registered for her master’s thesis.
“Surprisingly, the communication saw the plaintiff being advised that she was required to submit an O’Level Certificate with five passed subjects, a position different from the communication given to her on October 22, 2019,” she submits.
Ms Mkangama submits that she was also asked to submit O Level records or equivalent for international students which she duly submitted and was advised that her application was successful.
But she later learnt that the institution would not confer the necessary attained qualifications on her despite successfully concluding her studies.
(Mwebantu, Tuesday, 14th March, 2023)
