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at the National University of Science and Technology (Nust) in Bulawayo.
Officially opening the university’s Ceremonial Hall, soon after capping 1 234 graduands at the institution’s 17th graduation ceremony, President Mugabe said every time he came to Nust, he was saddened by the slow pace at which Government was moving to finish construction work at the university campus.
“I have been coming here and looking at the environment and thinking of our promise and pledge made in 1991 and I feel saddened.
“I see the cranes lying around and they seem to be saying ‘We have been idle for years and years, siyavilapha sifuna umsebenzi, toda basa’,” said President Mugabe, who is also the Head of State and Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.
President Mugabe is the Chancellor of all State universities. He said he was glad that he could at least say that part of the pledge had been fulfilled by the official opening of the fourth completed building at the university.
The other three are the faculty of commerce complex, the chemistry building in the faculty of applied science and the administration building. He said the Government was making concerted efforts to complete the university’s library by next year.
“As you can see, that foundation stone, laid on 26 October 1991 in a bush, is now surrounded by completed buildings, a clear indication of my Government’s commitment to prioritise higher education,” said President Mugabe. The President said Government had always been fully convinced that the quality of education provision depended on the calibre of staff and the quality of the supporting physical infrastructure.
“This Ceremonial Hall is beautiful and imposing from the outside. Now that I have been inside, I can see the ambience is awesome and extremely modern. I am informed the hall can stand its own among other auditoria anywhere in the world,” said President Mugabe.
He said he believed the hall would inspire scholars, academics and visiting delegations as they presented their scholarly papers and strove to find solutions to long standing and emerging challenges.
On a lighter moment, President Mugabe drew applause and laughter from the gathering when he unveiled and read the message on the plaque of the Ceremonial Hall. When he came to the part that named him as the person who officially unveiled it, he said, “unveiled by his Excellency the President of Zimbabwe you know who.” About 38 percent of the graduates were female in line with the university’s gender sensitive policy to move towards 50 percent female enrolment. There were four new degree programmes as the university continued to expand its curriculum. Nust Vice
Chancellor, Professor Lindela Ndlovu, called on the graduates to keep updating the institution on their future successes, saying it would help the university to keep improving on the university log tables, which measure the quality of a university.
“University log tables now include performance of former students as an integral measure of the quality of a university. Please join the Nust Alumni and participate actively in the improvement of your university,” said Prof Ndlovu.
He said 10 827 people had graduated at the university since 1995.
Online Reporter