By Chipangano Andersen
Blantyre City Council has introduced a K15 million sanitation competition targeting tertiary institutions in the city to promote cleanliness and healthy learning environments.
Blantyre City Mayor Isaac Jomo Osman announced the initiative Saturday during the Keep MUBAS Clean exercise at Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences where students and staff participated in cleaning the campus and surrounding areas.
“The incentive aims to foster a sustainable culture of cleanliness in institutions of higher learning,” said Osman.
Osman said universities will compete for the title of Cleanest Campus as the council seeks to encourage students to take responsibility for maintaining clean environments.
He described the Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences as a model institution in promoting sanitation and hygiene.Osman said academic institutions should lead by example in promoting cleanliness before extending the culture to residential areas, markets and workplaces.
Director of Health and Sanitation for MUBAS Student Council, Vitumbiko Mtonga said maintaining hygiene is a shared responsibility among students and staff.
Mtonga said students should take a leading role in setting high sanitation standards within campuses.
Bachelor of Laws student Alaska Suwedi Nangwale said participation in such initiatives helps instil leadership and discipline among students.
Nangwale added that clean-up activities also remind students that they are part of a community responsible for protecting its environment.
The clean-up formed part of the Keep MUBAS Clean Day under the university’s Environment Campaign Month.
Apart from MUBAS, Blantyre hosts other tertiary institutions including Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Malawi University of Science and Technology Chichiri Campus and several private universities.
