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Chief guest:
 Hon.
Simon Mayende, Minister of State for Higher Education
Prof
Yasmin Amarsi, Dean Aga Khan University School of Nursing, Karachi
Prof
Laetitia King, Chief Academic Officer, and Associate Dean, Nursing,
AKU , East Africa.
Acting
Principal, Dr Anneke Zuyderduin
Leaders
of the Aga Khan Development Network institutions
Distinguished
guests.
Parents
and families of the graduates.
Ladies
and gentlemen.
And last
but most important of all, the graduates and faculty members whom
we are here to honour today . . .
Tusanyuse nnyo
okubalaba……… and welcome.
We are indeed
honoured that Honourable Simon Mayende, Minister of State for Higher
Education, is among us today as our Chief Guest. Your pleasure
at this ceremony bears testimony to the development of higher education
and the training of leaders of tomorrow. It also is a source of
considerable encouragement for our University.
It therefore
is a great pleasure for my colleagues and me to welcome you and
all the guests to the Aga Khan University’s 3rd Uganda, graduation ceremony in Kampala. Today’s ceremony is
a continuum of honouring graduates of the University in different
parts of the world. As many of you well know, in keeping with the
mandate of its Charter, AKU is an international University.
But most of you may not be aware that AKU now has ten teaching sites
in seven countries of Africa, Asia and Europe. I shall revert later
with details of these programmes, which will collectively graduate
a total of 447 students this year. We celebrated the graduation
of 275 students at the convocation ceremony in Karachi earlier this
month. This week we shall honour 172 additional graduates in Uganda,
Kenya and Tanzania.
Today, AKU
honours in Uganda 23 graduates who completed the Diploma in General
Nursing and 13 who completed the BSc Nursing degree. I am pleased
to note Mr. Minister, that these 13 AKU Nursing degree recipients
will double the number of nurses who will receive their bachelor’s
degrees in Uganda this year. We also take the opportunity of this
ceremony to recognize two Ugandans graduates who completed their
Master of Education degree at AKU’s Institute for Educational
Development in Karachi and will receive their degrees at this ceremony.
Congratulations
Graduates of AKU; Through specially designed programmes for working
nurses, unlike students of most other universities, you have taken
on the challenge of enhancing your education while continuing to
hold full-time jobs. At the same time you have carried heavy family
responsibilities. Through your hard work, dedication, and perseverance,
you are about to embark on a lifetime of learning and personal growth
that will be limited only by your desire to serve, your will to
succeed, and your courage to face all obstacles. We honour you.
We honour,
too, the families of our graduates, who should be rightfully proud
of the achievements of their daughters and sons, their husbands
and wives. Through your valuable support, you have helped chart
the future course of these nurses and teachers to fulfil their ambitions
and pursue their dreams.
We also salute
the faculty of AKU in whose hands we placed the heavy responsibility
of imparting knowledge and skills, morals and values, ethics and
judgement to their students.
Graduates,
parents, faculty. This is your day.
It is with
a deep sense of pride that we acknowledge Aga Khan University’s
permanent presence in Uganda, where our focus has been on addressing
the unique educational needs of this country. But AKU also strives
to function as a regional institution serving a population of 100
million in East Africa, with the purpose of making a positive impact
on the nursing, medical and teaching professions.
While reflecting
on AKU’s presence in East Africa and elsewhere, let me recall
the words of His Highness the Aga Khan, Chancellor of the University
at the Charter presentation ceremony in Pakistan in 1983: He said
“. . . the overall aim of Aga Khan University will be to
make clear and rational judgements as to which foreseeable future
needs of the developing countries require new educational programmes.”
And he went on to say that having identified those needs it would
“. . . address them by the appropriate means, setting the
highest standards possible, whether in teaching, research or service.”
Over the last 22 years, AKU has worked hard to ensure that the
highest possible international standards are maintained in all its
academic and service programmes, and to ensure that local relevance
and circumstances are respected in all of its activities. It might
be useful to recall here the genesis of our nursing programmes in
East Africa. With the encouragement of the respective governments
and the enthusiastic support of the Nursing Councils of Kenya, Tanzania
and Uganda, the University in 2001 launched a regional nursing
programme in East Africa. This was the AKU’s first academic
initiative in East Africa and I am very pleased that it began operation
here in Uganda. The programme was specially designed to upgrade
the education of working nurses who could not leave their work places
for long periods of time.
These programmes
include Certificate and degree courses to enhance the quality of
education of working nurses. In 2004, we commenced Post Graduate
Medical Education in Tanzania and Kenya, based respectively at the
Aga Khan Hospital, Dar- es-Salam and the Aga Khan University Hospital
(Nairobi).
Over the past
four years, major factors in the University’s ability to grow
in East Africa, Pakistan and elsewhere has been the strong adherence
to its founding principles of quality, relevance, positive impact
and accessibility.
In everything
it does, AKU strives for the highest quality attainable. This is
not easy for a young institution like ours. The quality of who
we recruit and develop as faculty, the manner in which we constantly
seek to improve our programmes and the high calibre of our students,
are all important factors in determining the quality of our graduates.
But our aim is not just to educate our students but to train them
to become leaders of tomorrow in their respective fields and contribute
to the well being of the communities where they live.
In East Africa,
AKU is striving to exert a positive impact on the building of health
and education capacities. The Advanced Nursing Studies Programme
is a new innovative programme for Nurses. Although a full time
study programme of the highest international standards, it allows
qualified nurses to obtain higher professional education without
leaving their clinical experience whilst serving in their respective
work places. The degree programme is offered over two and a half
years, and the diploma programme extends over 18 months.
To provide
access to all who gain admission on merit, our educational programmes
are highly subsidized through the generosity of our Chancellor and
of our supporters here in Uganda and elsewhere around the world.
The University believes firmly that every effort possible must
be made to support students who demonstrate outstanding merit
but who may not have the financial means to pay for their education.
I would like to acknowledge in particular the financial contribution
provided by the government here in Uganda, to support the education
of some of its nurses. I am confident, Minister Mayende, that
such support will be enhanced as the employers of our quality graduates
notice significant improvement in patient care.
AKU’s
programmes in East Africa are not confined to the Health Sciences.
In collaboration with the Aga Khan Education Services AKU is also
helping to build the capacity of school education through the training
of teachers, school heads and government education officials. It
does this through its Lead-in programme which operates in all three
countries of East Africa. To date we have provided certificate
level training to over 1000 teachers in East Africa.
In addition
AKU has also graduated 49 MEd students from East Africa at AKU Institute
of Educational Development in Karachi, including two who will receive
their degrees today. Based on the successful performance of these
graduates I am very pleased to say that our Chancellor and the Board
have authorized planning for the establishment of a new, regional
Institute for Educational Development, AKU’s second
IED. While located in Dar es Salaam, the Institute will serve all
countries of Eastern Africa through its professional development
centres in various parts of the region.
Ladies and
gentlemen, I would like to reiterate here that the University’s
commitment to this country and this region is very strong. This
is clearly reflected by AKU’s permanent presence in all three
regional countries and in our student body. Today 600, or one-third
of AKU’s students body of 2100 are enrolled in Kenya, Uganda
and Tanzania. In Nairobi, the well known Aga Khan Hospital is now
undergoing major changes to become a high quality tertiary care
teaching site for physicians and nurses. It has been redesignated
as the Aga Khan University Hospital and placed, under the
governance and management of this University.
I mentioned
earlier that as an international institution, the University is
operating in multiple locations. This includes the Faculty of Health
Sciences, the Aga Khan University Hospital (Karachi) and the Institute
for Educational Development in Pakistan. In Pakistan, AKU is now
in the process of establishing its Faculty of Arts and Sciences
on a new campus on the outskirts of Karachi. Also proposed on this
campus are several graduate programmes and professional schools
relevant to the specific needs of societies in the developing world.
In London,
England, AKU’s Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations
was established three years ago to strengthen research and teaching
in the cultural heritage of Muslim societies in all their historic
diversity.
In Afghanistan,
AKU faculty are assisting government institutions to upgrade the
quality school of educators and nursing services. Similar assistance
is being offered to the government in Syria.
I am happy
to inform you that the University is currently studying the introduction
of new academic disciplines relevant to Eastern Africa. Several
distinguished academic experts from Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania are
helping AKU with this major study.
As we mark
four years of AKU’s presence in Uganda, we are deeply thankful
for the support and co-operation of the Government of, especially
the Ministries of Health, Education and Higher Education. In particular
I should like to acknowledge the: Higher Education Accreditation
Council of Tanzania, or Commission for Higher Education of Kenya,
or National Council for Higher Education of Uganda, for facilitating
the process of accreditation of the Aga Khan University which has
made it possible to award these degrees today.
The University
also gratefully acknowledges the valuable contributions to its East
African programmes by the Canadian International Development Agency,
Johnson & Johnson and agencies of the AKDN including, Aga Khan
Foundation, Aga Khan Health Services and Aga Khan Education Services.
At the convocation
in Pakistan early this month, the Chancellor announced the succession
to the presidency of the University. After 30 years of service,
beginning with the birth of the AKU, the Chancellor, Board of Trustees
and I had agreed that I would retire once a suitable candidate was
found to take over as president. The Chancellor introduced Mr.
Firoz Rasul as the next President effective May 1, 2006. I am pleased
to inform you that Firoz is here with us today. As do I, he has
roots in East Africa and understands the challenges and opportunities
in this region of the world. I am sure he will receive the same
level of support from all of you that I have enjoyed during my term.
Let me conclude
this address with a final exhortation to the Class of 2005.
When you leave
this graduation ceremony, you will be AKU alumni. Do not forget
your alma mater. As you achieve success in your lives, remember
the Aga Khan University and give it your ongoing support so that
others might follow in your footsteps.
As you begin
your new life as graduates, prepare for the unexpected. Let lifelong
learning be your motto and your practice. Let ethics be the foundation
of all your dealings. Embrace diversity. Be an agent for positive
change. And just as AKU has been a community of learning that has
served you well, choose always to serve those communities that you
call home. Remember, it has been said that service is the rent you
pay for the space you occupy on this earth.
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