Malawi: Sex-for-Grades Claims Rock Malawi Science University As Graduates Expose Degree Classification 'Injustices'

What the report says

Malawi University of Science and Technology’s first graduation for Open, Distance and e-Learning students has come under scrutiny after graduates raised complaints about how degree classifications were assigned. The dispute, reported by Nyasa Times and distributed by AllAfrica, centers on claims that some students received results that did not appear to match the university’s stated grading rules, while others who believed they qualified for a higher class graduated with lower marks. The graduation took place on Thursday, 7 August 2026, and involved MUST’s ODeL programme.

According to the report, students said the problems were most visible among those with carryover modules. One graduate, speaking anonymously, said several students with similar academic histories received different classifications, including credit for some and pass for others. A university official quoted by Nyasa Times attributed the confusion in part to the institution’s SARIS grading system, saying it had operational problems and that departmental records and system-generated results sometimes did not align.

The article also raises, as allegations, more serious claims that some female students may have received inflated grades in exchange for sexual favors from staff. Those claims were not independently verified in the supplied text. The report further says the ODeL programme’s grade processing was handled by a single Registry Assistant, suggesting staffing pressure may have worsened the situation. The controversy matters because it raises questions about fairness, administrative oversight and the credibility of a major milestone for the university’s distance-learning programme.