Graduands at the Aga Khan University’s 13th Convocation ceremony were urged to innovate and to cultivate a research culture to new approaches to long-standing problems.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Chief Guest Professor Eleuther Mwageni, the Acting Executive Secretary of the Tanzania Commission for Universities encouraged graduands to act as leaders.
“It is paramount that graduates, at all educational levels, have the capacity to impact the social, political, environmental and economic as
Mr. Firoz Rasul, Aga Khan University President, congratulates a graduate , looking on is Board of Trustee, Mr. Yusuf Keshavjee.
pects in a developing nation such as Tanzania,” said Professor Mwageni.
“Such graduates should have the necessary competences to transform their workplaces and their communities and to ultimately impact socio-economic development. Given the interconnectedness of the global economies today, we also need to produce graduates with global competences and who are able to work not just in Tanzania but in any corner of the globe,” Eluether added.
AKU President Firoz Rasul began his welcome address
"You are crucial to Tanzania’s future. To reach our goals, we need our best and brightest to step up, and to step outside the confines of their day-to-day work and connect with others."
Professor Mwageni, Acting Executive Secretary of the Tanzania Commission for Universities
by reminding the graduands of the value of this day. “Convocation is a time that we proclaim to the world that our students have acquired the skills, competencies, knowledge, and sensibilities that only higher education can confer.”
He urged the graduands to take note of the growing opportunities to transform societies by providing solutions to problems through innovation and research.
“You will not meet challenges by applying prefabricated solutions. Instead, you will analyze the local context, assess the assets at your disposal and scrutinize the challenges you face. And then you will craft creative strategies for change. In short, you will succeed by innovating,” he said.
Mr. Rasul went on to say “Our Graduate School of Media and Communications has trained 1,200 journalists and communications professionals, including more than 80 from Tanzania. Here in Dar es Salaam, AKU’s Institute for Human Development and its partners recently brought together scores of experts for a three-day conference focused on enabling young children to thrive in school and in life. And last year our East Africa Institute and the AKF convened young Tanzanian entrepreneurs to help them start and scale-up new businesses.”
“Perhaps no initiative better embodies the University’s commitment to innovation than our plans to provide an undergraduate liberal arts education through our new Faculty of Arts and Sciences,” he finally added.
This year saw 22 graduates conferred with a Masters Degree in Education, joining over 300 alumni from the Institute of Educational Development. The School of Nursing and Midwifery saw 25 graduates with a Bachelor’s degree, leading to a total of 957 diploma and degree holders in Tanzania to date.
Sophia Sanga, one of the outstanding students was the valedictorian this year. In her speech, she echoed the words of the President and the Chief Guest as she urged the graduands to be exemplary leaders of the future.
“Strong leadership requires ability, courage, resilience and support. While the health and education sectors have faced innumerable challenges over the past decades, there are also many positive legacies and real steps towards concrete improvement. We can build on these positive legacies and work together to strengthen our communities.”