By Chisomo Phiri
On Saturday, February 3, 2024, the Science for All (SCI4O) Initiative successfully held a Career Guidance Day at the Malawi-Liverpool Wellcome Programme (MLW) premises in Blantyre.
The Career Guidance Day is a day which SCI4O plans to be organising every year for students that have sat for Malawi School Certificate of Education (MSCE) exams or International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCE) exams and are from schools where SCI4O initiative clubs were established so as they acquire much-needed information on discovering their strengths, developing awareness and qualification standards for programmes and careers in clinical as well as biomedical science.
Speaking in an interview with this publication, SCI4O Coordinator Oris Chimphambano said the primary aim of the event is to encourage the aforementioned students to enroll into the Clinical and Biomedical science programmes so that they appreciate the careers of these two science programmes of study.
He said:”We want to train a generation of future scientists and there is no better way of doing that than having such events where we are guiding our future leaders.”
Chimphambano said the event was attended by three guest speakers;Dr. Alice Mbewe, a Translational Science Champion, Gareth Lipungula, a Study Physician and Aaron Chirambo,a PhD fellow.
He said these three guest speakers were chosen because they are industry leaders and researchers in the fields of biomedical and clinical science.
He went on to challenge students that have just completed MSCE or IGCE and are waiting for the results not to look down themselves but rather enroll in science programmes at tertiary level.
He said:”Science is for everyone, and it shapes our future. Clinical and biomedical sciences offer endless possibilities to make a difference in people’s lives. Whether you’re passionate about finding cures, improving healthcare, or exploring the mysteries of life, there is a place for you in this exciting field. Science for all is also here to stay and it is an ongoing project. As such, we are open to establishing strategic partnerships with any organisation in this country and beyond as long as our goal of encouraging students to take up careers in clinical and biomedical science and their goals align.”
On the future plans, Chimphambano said:”
We have a lot of future plans such as strengthening partnerships, promoting innovation and research, enhancing our outreach efforts as well as promoting diversity and inclusion in the field of science. We are planning on making all this realised through a number of our activities such as the 2nd Marcfarlane Mbewe Quiz (which will be national).Establishing more science clubs in schools across the country, and presenting our work on international platforms such as the Falling Walls Science summit in Berlin, among other activities.”
He then emphasized the importance of collective action in driving meaningful change towards everything.
“Each of us has a role to play in fostering interest and participation in clinical and biomedical sciences. Whether it is through mentoring aspiring students, advocating for increased resources and support in science, or simply spreading awareness about the opportunities within the field, every contribution matters. Together, we can create a brighter future where science is for everyone,”he said.
The Career Guidance Day was spiced up by a number of activities such as presentations on the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) application system, presentations on clinical and biomedical science programmes, mentorship assessment, just to mention some.
 Initiative successfully held a Career Guidance Day at the Malawi-Liverpool Wellcome Programme (MLW) premises in Blantyre. The…){kind=link}