A call has been made to align university academic programmes with industry needs to better prepare students for their careers. 

The call was made by Blessings Masina, a Chemical Engineering lecturer at MUST and MUST AgrGrow Project Work Package 4 Team Lead. 

He was speaking when he presented a collaborative learning ecosystem (CLE) mapping report at the AgrGrow project workshop at Bugema University in Uganda.

The workshop, which began on August 26 and will conclude on August 30, focuses on Problem-Based Learning, Ecosystem Creation, and Testing. 

Masina stressed the importance of aligning university curricula with industry demands. 

"Our goal is to ensure that our curriculum not only imparts theoretical knowledge but also provides students with practical skills necessary to excel in their careers," he said.

The CLE mapping report, which follows a a thorough evaluation of various programmes at the university, aimed to assess how effective the current curriculum prepares students with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed.

And on her part Mrs Ellasy Gulule Chimimba, a lecturer and Project Work Package 3 (Teacher Capacity Building) Team Lead, highlighted the importance of teacher development. 

She emphasized that equipping teachers with modern teaching methods and industry insights is crucial for maintaining high-quality education at MUST.

Universities from Malawi, including Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR) and MUST, are participating in the workshop alongside institutions from Finland (HAMK), Uganda (Makerere and Bugema Universities), and Denmark (University of Copenhagen).