SPEECH BY H.E.

BENJAMIN WILLIAM MKAPA, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA, FOR THE 3RD GRADUATION CEREMONY AT MUNYONYO INTERNATIONAL RESORT, LAKE SIDE CAVENDISH UNIVERSITY UGANDA, 27TH NOVEMBER 2013

THEME: INTEGRATED UNIVERSITY EDUCATION SYSTEM FOR REGIONAL TRANSFORMATION

SALUTATIONS The Minister of Education; The Chancellor of Cavendish University, Uganda; The Vice Chancellor of Cavendish University Zambia; Chairman Board of Directors; Your Excellencies, Ambassadors, Government officials, Chancellors and Vice Chancellors; Members of the Board of Directors of Cavendish University ; The Management Team, Staff and Students of Cavendish University Uganda; Distinguished honorable guests, parents, families and friends.
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GREETINGS AND WELCOME.

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to this Graduation Ceremony of Cavendish University Uganda. I feel greatly honoured to be the Guest of Honour at this graduation ceremony of this illustrious university. I heartily congratulate each one graduating today. I want to join the granduands in saying thank you, to their parents and sponsors.

UGANDA GOVERNMENT STAND ON EDUCATION SECTOR

The Government of Uganda ranks education as a key factor in the National Development Strategy. Through Education, Society will become more productive and more innovative. The demand for primary education has radically increased with the introduction, of free primary. This saw school enrolment increase from 2 million pupils to over 6 million pupils. The secondary education sector has similarly witnessed a growth of over 20% in the number of government-aided secondary schools over the last ten years. There is equally a big demand for higher education as reflected by rising in university enrolment. The enrolments into tertiary institutions over the last 20 years increased by over 90%, suggesting that there is need for more institutions at tertiary level to absorb the high numbers of students. I wish to extend my sincere congratulations to His Excellency, President Kaguta Museveni, his Party and his government for these noble achievements.

PRIVATE PUBLIC PARTNERSHIP(PPP)

I now to turn to the role that your university is performing in the tertiary education sector of Uganda. I am aware that there have been times of hardships - - be it, financial, lack of infrastructure, lack of suitably qualified staff, and/or inadequate
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or unsupportive policy frameworks, - that your university has faced. I am glad to note that the shareholders, the Board, management, staff and students have persevered. This has helped to create continuity of your institution for over 4 years now. Consequently, solutions are being reached and now the future is much brighter. This is a great lesson that your university and other universities in Uganda is giving to our East and Central Africa region and the rest of Africa. The private Universities have vast potential to widen access to higher education without incurring significant government costs. This has created an investment opportunity to private investors. Cavendish University Uganda (CUU) has made great contribution to higher education in Uganda through Private Public Partnership and therefore Cavendish University should be highly appreciated for supplementing government efforts in the provision of university education to Ugandans and beyond.

TOWARDS INTEGRATION AND TRANSFORMATION IN THE REGION

The development of any country is determined by the level of education of its people. A well educated society has an enormous capacity to tackle the challenges of development, and vast ability to innovate and implement development plans and solutions. University education, in particular, can be used as an effective tool for political, social and economic integration and transformation in our region and beyond. This can be achieved through strengthening our existing institutions and policies and by also adopting new policies that are relevant to ever changing circumstances. Among many issues and challenges that need to be addressed purposefully are the following:

1. The extension of state government packages such as student loans, sponsorships, bursaries and scholarships to private universities, where presently these privileges are enjoyed by students in public universities only. 2. The strengthening of Public Private Partnership under this same State Aid rubric for the purpose of assisting or subsidizing staff and infrastructural development. After all the private universities are supplementing the Governments mandate to train its citizens. 3. The strengthening of the Inter-University Council of East Africa by harmonizing Qualifications. 4. The introduction of a Regional Council for Higher Education which will supervise and regulate existing National Councils for Higher Education. 5. Installation of a regional mechanism to promote and monitor Quality Assurance in both private and public universities. Such dramatic review could produce remarkable and progressive outcomes. It would produce an integrated education system to propel the surge towards East African Integration. Standards in the region would be harmonized. Employment opportunities would be widened and the employability of graduates across borders would be raised. University Entry requirements, Examinations and

CREATING NEW VALUE THROUGH EDUCATION

Uganda education system has been a key strength for Uganda and the region. It has underpinned Ugandas transformation into a modern economy, and the peoples cohesion as a society.

Fifty (50) years after independence, the system is fundamentally strong. You have dedicated teachers and lecturers, rigorous curricula at each level and branch of the system. These strengths enable us to look ahead, size up the changes taking shape around the world identify gaps in skills and attitudes that we have to address, and to make adjustments so that the country moves forward with confidence. CUU is seeking to break new ground in practice-oriented learning. The CUU system is deepening students experience of industry-relevant and case studies

innovation as they learn. The key to value education and to creating new value lies in education. Education is the key to how Uganda will stay relevant and make your mark in the new global marketplace, not just by being competent and efficient, but by being a key African hub for new ideas, for business innovation and for enterprise.

MESSAGE TO GRADUANDS
A recent labour market study by the African Development Bank shows that there is an increasing number of educated African youth who have difficulty in finding gainful employment, leading to exclusion and marginalization from the society. While African countries are responding to the increasing demand for higher education, their labour markets are not ready to absorb these graduates. The origins of the problem lie in sluggish job creation, a prevalence of low-skilled job opportunities, and a skills mismatch, as evidenced by a growing number of educated youth without jobs. The number of higher education graduates in lowincome countries grew threefold to 4.9 million in the decade to 2009 and this number is anticipated to rise to around 10 million by 2020.

Why do I refer to this study? This is to alert you to the world you are about to join! Once you know the challenges before you, you will seek the means and ways to deal with them! Graduation day is truly a time to celebrate. Granduands have spent many sleepless nights reading, surfing the Internet, doing research, and writing assignments. You have also spent sleepless nights worrying about passing, or wondering if you will ever complete your studies. Today marks the end of all those worries. But it is also the beginning of a new dawn. It is for this reason that graduation day is also called Commencement Day. I trust that Cavendish University has prepared you to face the challenges that bedevil the world at large and in particular the profession you are joining. It is a fact that you will not always find it easy in your new life, be it, as a citizen of the global village, a national of our beloved respective countries, a professional, or just being a plain human being. Whenever you are faced with such challenges, it is my hope and prayer that you will triumph because Cavendish University has equipped you with skills on how to think and not what to think; problem solving skills that are based on critical thinking, logical analysis and systematic approaches rather than random engagement. So as you embark on your next journey, I want to believe that you will demonstrate to society that you are educated. I urge you to demonstrate these three attributes of an educated man and woman. First, is Responsibility & Civility in the social sense. Nowadays, companies are being judged and measured by their Corporate Social Responsibility programmes, not just balance sheets. And an educated person strives to care and share, and to speak with a civil tongue.

Second, Ability to perform your duties with excellence. It is not enough to perform your duties and demonstrate competence. You must aspire to do the best possible quality job. Third, but not least, is Ability to think critically. It is very important for the educated citizens to demonstrate that they are thoughtful; that they analyse and question the information availed to them, and come up with well-thought out solutions.

THE PARENTS AND SPONSORS

I am well aware of the global economic woes, the difficulty to access capital in our local settings, and the challenges they pose to parents and sponsors. It is, therefore, with much admiration that I congratulate you and recognize you for supporting and providing for the granduands throughout their studies at this University. Your sacrifice to afford your childrens education or to sponsor your employe e is commendable. This is why today should be a time of celebration for all of you.

CONCLUSION
In conclusion I would like to appeal to all of you present to take university education seriously, because it is through high education training that skills are acquired that are essential for regional integration, transformation and overall development of Uganda in particular and Africa in general. Thank you for your attention.