JB installed as University of Malawi chancellor: 1,654 students graduate
Malawi President Mrs Joyce Banda was on Friday officially inaugurated as chancellor of the University of Malawi (Unima) becoming its first female Chancellor.
The coronation took place at at College of Medicine Sports Complex Ground, Blantyre.
Banda then resided over the graduation of 1 654 students from Unima.
Addressing the congregation, Chancellor of Unima said there is need to inject more financial resources in the country’s tertiary education.
“My government is committed to investing as much as possible into education,” said President Banda.
The Malawi leader acknowledged lack of resources and space as challenges affecting Unima.
“With only 15 percent of primary school leavers attending secondary school, and only three percent of these having a chance of entering university, we, however, have a significant task ahead of us, a monumental task that government cannot achieve a lone,” Banda said.
Malawi leader expressed political will to invest in education, saying that would help in reviving the economy.
“We need high quality education system to provide the relevant skills to the labour market and create capacity to understand and use global knowledge in science and technology, for example, in the agriculture sector,” said President Banda.
The President then congratulated the graduates, saying as a mother she was pleased to see young people succeeding.
“You have to be courageous out there and step into the Promised Land even though you will face obstacles. Take one step at a time,” advised Banda.
She also challenged the graduates to be relevant on the market as a reflection of their studies, advising the graduates that a new journey for them had began tand she was confident that with determination and the will to learn new ideas and ways of doing business, they would succeed.
President JBanda said the number of academic degrees that one holds does not really matter but what the holders are able to achieve on account of their acquired education.
“It is not the number of certificates, diplomas and degrees you get in life but what you do after you leave that classroom [that matters],” she further advised.
Before the ceremony started, there was a minute of silence to honour the late president and Chancellor Professor Bingu Wa Mutharika who died on 5th April 2012.
The venue of the event was full of happy people. Parents, siblings and friends of the graduating students cheered for them as they walked on the red carpet to be awarded.
Of the total of 1500 students, 948 are males while the remaining 552 are females. The majority of the graduating students were being awarded degrees and others were being awarded with diplomas and certificates.
UNIMA is the oldest public university in the country and have produced many graduates in medicine, engineering, administration, law, education among others.—(Additional reporting by Judith Moyo, Nyasa Times)
