The Rector and Vice Chancellor, Prof Gumbi,
Chairperson of Council, Mr BM Ntuli
Deans of faculties and all other members of the academic community,
Our Guest Speaker, the Honorable Deputy Minister of Correctional Services, Hlengiwe Buhle Mkhize
President of Convocation, Advocate Chamane
Leadership of the SRC
Traditional Leaders,
Religious Leaders,
Business Leaders,
Community of Dlangezwe
Graduates’ families and friends
Graduates
Good morning to all of you all.
A graduation ceremony takes place after a lot of hard work and sacrifice. You deserve our praises and good wishes on coming this far. I take this opportunity to congratulate both the academics and the students on your accomplishments. Of course none of this would have been possible without the support of the proud parents I see here sitting before me.
A big thank you, for recognising the role of education in the upliftment of our children and our communities. Without your support this graduation would not have been possible today. The Faculty of Arts is the largest at the University of Zululand, with the highest number of enrolled students and the highest student to staff ratio.
The 18 departments of the Faculty of Arts cover a wide range of fields from language and linguistics to social sciences and the humanities.
The importance of the Faculty of Arts is best summarized by the words of Steve Bantu Biko who stated that; "We believe that in the long run, the special contribution to the world by Africans will be giving the world a more human face."
The Arts and social sciences give academia a more human face in my view. We urge you therefore to use your skills to build bridges between our diverse cultures, and people that live in this country. Most importantly, we urge you to use your skills to make our country a better place.
Whilst we have done exceptionally well since 1994, we have to work much harder and do better in the next five years to improve the lives of our people.
Ladies and gentlemen, next year marks the fiftieth anniversary of this institution. I hope that you are planning a huge celebration given the successes of the institution.
The anniversary of an institution of this nature reminds us of the need to work harder to encourage more students from working class and poor communities to acquire higher education. This will require that we improve the National Student Financial Aid Scheme amongst other interventions.
The anniversary is also a reminder of the need for us to create the type of academic institutions that will help us to further the goals of a developmental state. Universities and further education and training colleges should assist us to create the skills we need to grow our economy.
At the moment, the national skills pool required for industrial development and sustainable competitiveness leaves much to be desired. We need to focus on producing technical skills in the categories of artisans, technicians, technologists, engineers, scientists, and technology management. Universities must also be alive to the reality that the changing nature of work has resulted in the downsizing of corporate companies. Advances in technology have changed the way of doing business and the moves towards outsourcing. Higher education must therefore help us to respond to these changes to prevent job losses.
As we work to transform our tertiary institutions, we would also like to encourage that our campuses be turned into thriving marketplaces of ideas, and centres of excellence. We want to see our people cultivate a culture of tolerance of opposing views, and an understanding and appreciation of the existence of people from other countries in South Africa.
In that vein, on Monday, the continent marks Africa Day. In 2008, this period was marked by the horrific attacks on our brothers and sisters from other parts of the continent and even South African citizens. These attacks had a criminal element in them. The painful and shocking incidents displayed intolerance of the highest order. There can be no justification for the kinds of attacks that took place, and we condemn them to this day.
We are aware that there were underlying problems to these attacks. The socio-economic development programmes we are to undertake as part of the programme of action of the new administration should assist to a great extent to resolve these challenges. We need to deal with issues of competition for resources, and the reluctance to accept the reasons that force people to flee their countries and come to South Africa.
We must promote a more cosmopolitan atmosphere in our country, and ensure that we never, ever experience the painful occurrences of May 2008.
Our campuses are excellent centres for campaigns to promote an African renewal and understanding, as there are many students from the continent. Let the youth lead the way in building a better Africa and a better world.
Let me remind you of the priorities of government:
* Education
* Health
* Fight against crime
* Rural development and job creation
Of the above-mentioned five priorities two of them have seen two new ministries established so that these are not just slogans but that they make real and necessary impact to the people of this country. One has had its department split into two departments, i.e. Basic Education and Higher Education and Training and a change of name for one, from safety and security to the department of Police.
Let me once again; thank this university for the support given to me during my challenges. You stood firm when many found it difficult to do so. Ladies and gentlemen, graduates and families let me once again extend my hearty congratulations.
We wish you all the best in your careers and the road ahead.
I thank you
Issued by: The Presidency
24 May 2009
Source: The Presidency (http://www.thepresidency.gov.za)
