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REPUBLICOFMALAWI

SPEECHDELIVEREDBY

PROFESSORARTHURPETERMUTHARIKA,THE
STATEPRESIDENTOFTHEREPUBLICOFMALAWI

DURING

THEOFFICIALOPENINGOFTHEMALAWI
UNIVERSITYOFSCIENCEANDTECHNOLOGY(MUST)
ANDMATAPWATADAYSECONDARYSCHOOL

ONFRIDAY,24THOCTOBER,2014

IN

THYOLO
YourExcellencyMadamGertrudeMutharika,First
LadyoftheRepublicofMalawi
RightHonourableSaulosKlausChilima,Vice
PresidentoftheRepublicofMalawiandMadamMary
Chilima
HisExcellency,MrZhangQingyang,theChinese
AmbassadortoMalawi
DrEmmanuelFabiano,MinisterofEducation,
ScienceandTechnology,MP
AllCabinetMinistersherepresent
MrsThokozileBanda,PrincipalSecretary
responsibleforBasicandSecondaryEducation,
ProfessorJohnSaka,ChairmanoftheMalawi
UniversityofScienceandTechnologyCouncilandall
CouncilMembers.
ViceChancellorsofPublicandPrivate
Universitiespresent
TheDistrictCommissionerforThyolo,MrCharles
Thombozi,
Management,StaffandStudentsofMUST
DistinguishedinvitedGuests,Ladiesand
Gentlemen
Iamextremelydelightedtowitnessthisgreatday
whenweareofficiallyopeningthesetwomagnificent
institutionsTheMalawiUniversityofScienceand
Technology(MUST)andMatapwataDaySecondary
School.TheestablishmentofthisUniversityin
particular,isaremarkablemilestoneinthehistoryof
educationinthiscountry.

Thejourneythatstartedasadreamandavisionby
theformerHeadofState,thelateProfessorBinguwa
Mutharikain2011hasnowcometoareality.Thoseof
youwhoattendedorlistenedtothespeechwhichthe
formerStatePresidentmadeduringtheceremonyof
layingthefoundationstoneofthisuniversitywhose
themewas:TURNINGMALAWIINTOANINDUSTRIAL
NATION.Hesaid,ThisUniversityisanewmilestone
inourquestasanationtopromoteeducationasthe
meansofenhancingourmacroeconomicgrowthand
development.

Todayalsomarksthebeginningoftherealizationof
mydreamofestablishingsixnewuniversitiesto
respondtothechallengesanddemandsforincreased
equitableaccesstoinstitutionsofhigherlearning.My
aimistoensurethateverycitizeninourcountry,
regardlessoftribe,religionortheareashe/shecomes
from,shouldhavetheopportunityandtherightto
highereducation.ThisUniversityisbeingestablished
atmyinitiative.Iconceptualizedthisandeven
designedthemainbuildingthatyouwillonedaysee
riseabovethegroundsofthisarea.
Ladiesandgentlemen,Istandhereaveryhappyman
foranumberofreasonsandIamawarethatmany
Malawiansarehappytooforthisgreatarchitectural
masterpieceweseehere.Iwouldliketoagreewith
theChairmanofCouncilandMinisterofEducation,
ScienceandTechnologythatthisisoneofthebest
UniversitiesnotonlyinAfricabutevenbeyond.Iam
happythatdespitethesomanychallengesthatwere
experiencedduringconstruction,thisUniversitywas
finallycompletedandopenedforourdeservingsons
anddaughtersofMalawi.

TheMalawiUniversityofScienceandTechnologyand
MatapwataDaySecondarySchoolhavebeen
constructedwithfundingfromtheGovernmentofthe
People'sRepublicofChinafollowingthe
establishmentofourdiplomaticrelationswiththat
country.Atthisjuncture,allowmetosincerelythank
theChineseGovernmentforfinancialsupportand
provisionoftheContractorwhohasdoneawonderful
job.
IwouldliketothankallmyfellowMalawianswhoin
variouscapacitiescontributedtotheestablishmentof
thisUniversity.Inparticular,Iwouldliketoextendmy
sincerethankstomembersofthePublicUniversities
WorkingCommitteefortheirtirelesscommitmentand
efforttoensurethatthisuniversityisoperational.

IwouldalsoliketothanktheUniversityCounciland
theManagementteamforthehardworkthathas
enabledthisuniversitytobefullyoperationalandmy
hopeisthatyouwillturnthisinstitutionintoaworld
classone.

Ladiesandgentlemen,
ThisUniversityisacleartestimonyofthecommitment
oftheDPPledGovernmentinmeetingthechallenges
ofaccesstohighereducationbyouryouthswho
graduatefromsecondaryschoolssuchasMatapwata
DaySecondarySchool.MyGovernmentiscommitted
tothevisionofincreasingthenumberofpublic
universitiesinMalawiaswellaspublicsecondary
schools.ItisforthisreasonthatmyGovernmenthas
putinthebudgetfundstostartthegroundworkfor
theestablishmentofUniversityofMomberain
Mzimba.

Withthisinmind,allsecondaryschoolsthatwillbe
constructedintherecenttimeswillhavemodern
laboratoryfacilitiestoproperlyorientoursecondary
schoolstudentstowardsscienceandtechnologyas
evidencedbythemagnificentsciencelaboratory
facilitiesatMatapwataDaySecondarySchool.

Distinguishedladiesandgentlemen,TheMalawi
Governmentrealisesthatthereisadirectlinkbetween
internationalcompetitivenessandinventiononone
handandinnovationandtechnologydevelopmenton
theother.Infact,globally,itisrecognizedthat
ScienceandTechnologyplaysacriticalrolein
transformingthelivesofpeopleinsociety.AsIspeak
now,thereisnocountryintheworldthathas
developedorisrapidlydevelopingwithoutapplying
theprinciplesandpracticesofscienceand
technology.

Therefore,thismagnificentinstitutionplacesagreat
responsibilityforthestaffandstudentspresent,and
future,toprovethenationthatinvestmentinscience
andtechnologyeducationcanmakeadifferenceto
Malawi.TheIndustryhasacriticalroletoplayifthis
universityistomakeapositivemarktothecountry.

TocaptainsofIndustryandbusinessgurus,Ialso
challengeyoutoutilisetheskillstobedevelopedat
thisuniversityforthegrowthofyourIndustries.This
universitywillbemeaninglesswithoutinterfacewith
theIndustry.

Ladiesandgentlemen,studentsandstaffarenotthe
onlystakeholdersatthisUniversity.Thepeople
surroundingthisuniversity,parents,government,the
generalpublicoutthereandmanymoreareall
stakeholders.ItispleasingtonotethatChiefsand
Traditionalleaderssurroundingthesetwoinstitutions
visitedthemandcommittedthemselvestohelpin
takingcareofthemandIthankyouforthat
commitment.

ForMUSTandMatapwataDaySecondarySchool
students,myappealissimplerememberthat
educationwithoutcharacterismeaningless.Coming
totheuniversityisonethingbutremaininghereand
completingtheprogrammeisyetanotherthing.The
needforhardworkcannotbeoveremphasised.I
thereforechallengeMatapwataDaySecondarySchool
studentstoworkextrahardintheirstudiessothat
theytoowouldbeselectedtothismagnificent
university.Onewisemanoncesaid...Youhaveonly
threechoicesinlife:giveup,givein,orgiveitallyou
havegot!TheGovernmentwillcontinuetohelpand
ensurethatyoureceivequalityeducationand
training.You,asstudentsmustresolvetosucceed.
Whenyoufailorfallyouhavenotlostbutwhenyou
quityouhavelostitallandrememberthis,Winners
neverquit

Byitslocation,myGovernmentisawareofsomeof
thechallengesthatarestillthereparticularlywith
regardtostaffaccommodation.Weareworkinghard
toensurethatthereisenoughstaffaccommodation
here.Iwouldliketoappealtotheprivatesectorto
utilisethisopportunityworkwiththeGovernmentto
investhereunderthePublicPrivatePartnership
arrangements.Youcanbuildadditionalstudents
accommodation,staffhousesandamodernshopping
mall,justtomentionafew.

LadiesandGentlemen,withtheseremarks,itisnow
mysingularhonourtodeclaretheMalawiUniversity
ofScienceandTechnologyandMatapwataDay
Secondaryschoolofficiallyopened.

Ithankyouallforyourattention.

MayGodblessusall.

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