As I look at the sea of academic colours in front of me, I have a renewed feeling of what success means.
There is no deeper pleasure than this sense of rising to the mountain of conquest after years of hard work. There is no higher pride than feeling like standing on the shoulders of history after a past of toiling, sweating and laboring. And for me, there is no higher honour than to be part of you at this moment of your conquest, at the height of your success.
Congratulations!
After all the years of hard work, today, you have risen to distinguished heights of success. Our victory is like being on the mountain top where we stand to see a focused vision of our destiny. And this is the time, to remember the wisdom of one African elder: “After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.” Yes, let not life promise you fantasies and miracles, for there are many hills of challenges to surmount towards greater achievements in life. You have only finished climbing one hill.
This is the time, for you to look forward and define your personal vision in our greater vision. Find your path to the destiny of our country. And do not ask what your degree will do for you. Ask what you will do with your degree. Ask what life you want to make. Ask what part you can play to develop your country. And never doubt or think that you are too insignificant to make a difference.
Ladies and gentlemen,
An academic occasion of this type is always a perfect time for us to rethink the role of the academy in the development of humankind. The university exists in any human society to make us the best that we can become. In order to do this, the university must lead in asking questions never asked before, and lead us to new frontiers of searching for solutions. It is not enough for the university to teach us what we already know.
The academy has always been one of the fundamental pillars of socio-economic development. Through high quality research and teaching, it is a dedicated duty of the academy to challenge our traditional ways of thinking to inspire us into new frameworks of thinking. The academy must be a place of inspiration, an inspiring place. As such, I am enthused to think that these graduates will leave this hall inspired to go and apply what they have learned. Learning is never complete until application of what we learn is done.
But we also know. For the university to function as a beacon of our light in what we do, they need to undertake high quality research. In this regard, I urge the university to continue aspiring to be part of the world-class research agenda. In order to reach these academic heights, we must always measure ourselves and ask:
(a) Is our research, or publications, useful in the research and teaching of other renowned universities elsewhere in the world?
(b) Is our research applied in the industry and socio-economic realities that solve real human problems outside the classroom?
(c) Or, do we research and publish simply for the sake of our promotion? What is our research agenda as an academy?
We must always ask:
(d) Are the graduates we produce competitive with other leading universities across the world?
(e) Are the graduates we produce competitive in the industry and market world over?
(f) Are the graduates we produce able to make a real difference wherever they work and serve their country?
At various stages over the past year, I have emphasized the need for Malawian Universities to concentrate on building research capacity and focusing on undertaking relevant research for the country. I note that Mzuzu University has undertaken to promote postgraduate programmes and develop its research capabilities. The challenge we face is to raise the quality of that research so that you remain competitive with the rest of the world. In any case, the academy is by its nature an international institution.
As the African Champion for Higher Education myself, it is my duty to demand and promote high quality research, high education standards, and a high integrity of the African academy. I cannot expect anything less from our own universities in Malawi. The search for distinguished quality of higher education is our collective responsibility – together with Government, the academy itself, the private sector and the public. The university is particularly always in the spotlight because a lot is expected of us.
The common man will always ask: if the university cannot be creative and innovative in finding solutions for its challenges, who should find those solutions? This is a troubling question that must convict us as a nation. If you and I cannot find solutions to the challenges of our times; for our country, who should find those solutions for us?
But let me also point out one thing. The idea of the modern university has shifted from being a closed sanctum of teachers and scholars to become an open community where the private sector can fully participate in sponsoring research programmes and professorships as part of your corporate responsibility. There is more the private sector can do.
Government will always play its part, dutifully. And we are playing our part. We will continue providing support, policies and an environment in which higher learning and research must take place. In the last year, my Government has taken forward three initiatives that directly advance university education in this country.
First, we have signed a loan agreement with the World Bank that will provide substantial funds for skills development within Higher Education. Mzuzu University will be one of the recipients of these funds, amounting to 9 million US dollars over 4 years.
Secondly, my Government has set into law the Higher Education Students Loans and Grants Act, now passed by Parliament. This Law will allow more students to access loan support than ever before. It will also restrict these loans to the students most in need. Over time, we hope that this will lead to a more sustainable solution to providing support for University students.
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen
I must also applaud Mzuzu University’s decision to create its own fund to further support students in need and complement the National fund. We need to find as many ways as possible to support students so that economic status is not a barrier to student enrollment in Higher Education. There is always a small way we can contribute to big challenges, always!
Further, a third initiative of my Government has been the approval by cabinet of a paper that will allow public universities to enter into public private partnerships to bring in private investment into the public universities. This will support the construction of student accommodation and improve the learning environment. As I said earlier, time has come for the private sector to be active participants in university education. We all stand to benefit with our collective participation in higher education.
Collectively, the solutions for the problems we face in higher education are with us. Together, the solutions for the challenges we face as a country are with you and I. But to all Malawians, let me say this. There shall never be, never come a time when the human society will be without challenges. Not in this world, not on earth, not in our life time! The sooner we grasp this political realism, the better for our unity and progress. What makes us different as human societies is whether we are patriotic, sober and constructive; whether we are unpatriotic and destructive when faced with challenges. Malawi has passed through a very difficult period recently, we are still suffering the painful consequences, and we need a sober approach to our challenges.
In a related development, I am encouraged to note the community of Mzuzu University calmly views its common challenges. I am aware that there are still outstanding challenges.
There are projects that are yet to be completed. I have in mind the new classrooms, lecture theatres and laboratory buildings just by the main entrance to the campus. I am pleased to learn that these buildings will soon be completed after successfully identifying World Bank funds for this task.
I also appreciate the continuing efforts of Mzuzu University to secure the land at Choma. This is the site at which the University intends to develop a 2nd campus, and to expand the University’s work into environmental sciences. I am pleased that this year’s budget allocated funds to compensate the Choma community, and to finally allow the transfer of the land to Mzuzu University. I would like to thank Senior Chief Mtwalo, and his chiefs, for their long suffering support for this transfer of land over many years. I commend the University for its forward looking thoughts and plans.
Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen
Let me conclude my address by challenging ourselves to rethink the role of education in development in this country. We all agree that education is a tool for development. The entire education system must fully support a national vision. Our University classrooms are expected to develop the whole human being: teaching the head, the heart and the hand. By the time we walk out of university corridors on a graduating day like this, we must have developed the intellect, our character and our skills. We need character development because Malawi needs serious mindset change if we are to develop. We need skills development because we need to create more jobs. We need to create the missing middle class of the Malawian society. And the university must think how best we can contribute to this vision.
Universities must support the national vision.
In our vision, we endeavour to create wealth and create jobs in order to make life better for all. That is why we are promoting direct investment and skills development. We are building a network of roads, including a very good number here in the North, to modernize the country. In our vision, we endeavour to ensure that Malawi becomes a hunger-free nation in which people can afford good food and decent houses. That is why our Government programmes support small farming. That is why we pursue the Green Revolution in the Green Belt programme to ensure that we increase our crop production with irrigation throughout the year. But we are also subsidizing malata to ensure that Malawians can afford decent and dignified housing. In our vision, we endeavour to have a public service that performs better and delivers to the people efficiently. That is why we pursue public reforms. This is the vision we all must understand, pursue and share.
Above all, we need mindset change to support this economic transformation. We need a common spirit and character for pursuing our national destiny. In this realisation, I have set and proposed that there shall be three principles that must be part of every Malawian’s character. These are patriotism, integrity and hard work.
I am thankful and delighted to note that some in the media, churches, and some civil societies have pledged to plant these three values in every Malawian. It is now the turn of the University to your role. These values must be the character of every student. It is now the duty of the graduating students to take these values as the beacon of light at your feet as you walk into the world after university.
All our national pursuits must be within this common spirit of patriotism, with the common character of integrity, and a common culture of hard work. These are our pillars of progress. These must be our common values. These must be our national character, for you, me, and our children.
Without patriotism, we have no country. We have no common home. We have nothing! Without our love for one Malawi, as a people of a common destiny, we cannot develop because we spend more time plundering Malawi and quarreling.
And without integrity, we have nothing that makes us human. Without integrity, we are nothing. We will plunder our country and destroy one another. Everyone agrees that if we had a leadership of integrity, there would have been no cashgate. Without integrity, we cannot build this country. Let us be principled, be a proud people, and a people who believe in ourselves. A people who believe in our capacity to achieve greater achievements!
But it also takes hard work! And without hard work, no human achievement is possible. Success is not possible without being a hardworking people. Success is not a miracle. Success is not talent. Success is a product of nothing but hard work.
These last words are also the first lesson for all of you graduating today, aspiring to succeed in life after university.
With these words, I now declare the 17th Congregation of Mzuzu University dully opened. Be prepared to work hard always.
I thank you for your attention.
May God bless you all!
