Media and Public Should Stop Calling Honourary Degree Holders ‘Dr’ – Higher Education Council

The National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) in Malawi has issued a firm directive cautioning both recipients of honorary doctorate degrees and the media against the misuse of the title “Dr”.

According to a statement released by the Council, only individuals who have earned doctoral degrees through academic study and research are entitled to use the designation.

The NCHE stressed that honorary doctorates are symbolic acknowledgements of outstanding societal contributions and should not be confused with academic qualifications. Recipients must therefore refrain from using the title “Dr”, and media organisations, institutions, and the general public are advised not to confer that title upon them. The Council issued similar guidance on honorary professorships, stating that such titles should always be prefaced with the word “Honorary” to avoid misleading the public about an individual’s academic or professional standing.

The clarification is part of a broader effort by the NCHE to safeguard the integrity and credibility of academic titles in Malawi. By distinguishing honorary awards from earned academic degrees, the Council hopes to maintain public trust in the country’s higher education system.

The misuse of academic titles is not limited to Malawi. In Nigeria, it is a widespread practice for politicians, businesspeople, and consultants to either pay for honorary doctorate degrees from local universities or acquire PhDs from poorly regulated foreign institutions—solely for the purpose of affixing “Dr” to their names. Ironically, such individuals often insist more firmly on being addressed as “Dr” than many Nigerians who have earned legitimate doctoral degrees through rigorous academic work.

The NCHE’s intervention may encourage other countries in the region to take similar steps to uphold academic standards and discourage the misuse of honorary distinctions.