Maranatha Academy sends 172 students to Public Universities

One of the country’s reputable learning institutions, Maranatha Academy Private Schools has stood out to its billing as one of the best by sending 172 students to public higher learning institutions.

Maranatha Academy Managing Director, Ernest Kaonga is delighted with the exceptional performance of his institution during the last Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) as they performed well with many students scoring high flying grades that earned them a place at different conventional public universities this year.

In an interview with Nyasa Times on Monday, Kaonga said this year alone, Maranatha Academy have managed to send a total of 172 students to different universities in Malawi.

Kaonga said: “Out of 172 students who have been selected to various public universities, 92 are boys while 80 are girls. This is no mean achievement and we would like to say thank to the parents who entrusted us with the future of their children.

“To our students, who will forever be part of story and history, we are so proud of their achievement and we wish them all the best as they take the next big step of their lives,” he said.

However, Kaonga explained that he is optimistic that all the 172 students from Maranatha are capable to do well in their new academic sojourn saying that they are all equipped and prepared for any academic challenge.

According to the Maranatha Academy chief, a total of 31 students have been selected to Mzuzu University (Mzuni) while 24 have gone to Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (Luana)

51 students have been selected to Malawi University of Business and Applied Science (MUST) and 37 students have been selected to pursue their studies at the University of Malawi (Unima) the Chancellor College.

The rest have gone to Kamuzu University of Health Science.

Both Maranatha Boys and Girls academies have done so well in the examinations and both schools have sent a great number of students to the public universities.

Kaonga said they are particularly pleased that many girls have also been selected to pursue their studies in different universities, at this time, when girls’ access to education is seriously compromised due to a number of factors.

“The school commends the girls at our school for their hard work and for the subsequent remarkable feat. This is a clear sign that the schools are dedicated in offering high quality education to girls.

“This, in essence, contributes to attainment of some of the Millennium Development Goals: girl/women empowerment and poverty reduction. There is a popular adage which says when you educate a girl, you educate a nation and we are happy that girls are not lagging behind at Maranatha but in the same fast lane with the boys,” he said.

Kaonga further said that at Maranatha Academy they will strive to thrive in ensuring that they maintain the high standards in a bid to keep on improving other in attaining excellence and continue with the students getting the best grades across all Maranatha schools.

“We will continue to strive for the better, and this is encouraging because last year we sent 117 students to public Universities. This means we are improving every academic year and hopefully next year will be better,” he said.

‘Awarded’

Meanwhile, Cypress International Centre for Academic Research has awarded Kaonga with an Academic Honorary Doctoral Degree in Education for his role in uplifting education in Malawi.

The recognition has also come in because he has managed through the school to transform even students who were performing below elsewhere to be the best once enrol with Maranatha

He was honoured also because Maranatha do not do selection on enrolling plus weeding like other schools yet they manages to bring best grades bitting all schools in Malawi.

The Graduation took place on Saturday in Lilongwe at Bingu International Conference Centre.

During the ceremony, some of the people, who were also awarded are from Ivory Coast, Sudan and Burkina Fasso.

In Malawi, apart from Kaonga, there was also Dowell Chilamambeyu Nyondo from Kamuzu Academy who has been awarded

One parent, who has a child at Maranatha girls, Ethel Mandulo hailed Kaonga and the school saying it has helped to raise education standards by assisting the government in uplifting academic standards, when many of the private schools in the country are dwindling.

“You can’t talk of education in Malawi without recognizing efforts of Maranatha and as parents who have children at this school we are not amused that Mr. Kaonga has been recognised and he deserves that,” she said.

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