STATEMENT BY THE RT HON PRIME MINSTER,

DR B.SIBUSISO DLAMINI

AT THE DIPLOMA GRADUATION CEREMONY FOR WILLIAM PITCHER COLLEGE

AT WILLIAM PITCHER COLLEGE

Friday 30 October 2015

Honourable Ministers

Vice-Chancellor of William Pitcher College

Principal and Staff of the College

Graduands

Relatives and friends of the graduands

Ladies and Gentlemen

It is my honour to represent His Majesty King Mswati III at this graduation ceremony, today, and to extend a very warm welcome to all who are present.

Although unable to attend personally it will have been important to His Majesty that such representation provides the clear affirmation of how crucial is the role of education in our society and our economy.

That the lion's share of the annual Government Budget is allocated to education is further testimony to the priority attached to the sector. I seriously doubt that any individual would question the value of education. The knowledge and skills obtained from the years spent in school and college, do, alone, amount to a convincing justification of that prioritisation. But education gives a young person more. It develops sound judgment and perception, and it enhances a student's ability to inter-act with fellows in a social and academic context - ideal preparation for the demand of adult life. Education encourages self-discipline and a hunger for information and expertise.

Not every student takes full advantage of the educational opportunities available, of course, and the occasions where there is a wholesale rejection of them is always sad to encounter. But I would never support the saying that youth is wasted on the young. It is more to marvel at how many people who, in adulthood, would jump at the chance to go back into the classroom to devoted themselves to the full time acquisition of knowledge and learning.

Those who have been fortunate enough to enjoy tertiary education - and I am addressing a fine group of 128 such students today - will have had the opportunity to specialise, or simply build on their existing bank of knowledge. Tertiary education invariably provides a valuable increment to one's school education, and a substantial platform from which to launch into a productive and fulfilling career.

All our university and college graduates have an important role to play in our economy and our society. But today is a graduation ceremony for teachers and I am sure I can be permitted to focus on the very special position that is now ahead for them. The first difference is the obvious one - we know what you are going to be doing, or should really be doing, and that is teaching. Your teaching will put you in a unique position. If I use the word "multiplier" I am giving you a clue about the point I am making. When you, the graduands today, embark on your teaching career - in this country, I hope, because we desperately need you - you are putting what is known as the multiplier effect into action. Just as the teachers at William Pitcher have done for you over the past four years, you are about to emulate among the primary and secondary schools.

For every class you take, you will be contributing to the multiplication of your own education and skills by the number in the class. That is quite a responsibility, quite a challenge, and ultimately a really significant contribution to society. But it should also represent for you a truly exciting prospect. Because the future of Swazi society - our country - is entirely dependent on the people who make up that society. The students of today will be that society of tomorrow. Their future will lie to a substantial degree in your hands, supplementing of course the crucially important function of parenting on which our children do also depend for character development.

This is a wonderful day for all the graduands who, following a few seconds of each diploma awarded will be entitled to change three letters in the word and become graduates. My warmest congratulations to all of you on this special occasion in your lives. You will never forget it and I trust that will be your inspiration in future years. You have worked hard and are now savouring the reward that comes with it. And there will, I am sure, be hardly a dry eye among the proud parents, other relatives and friends here to share the occasion. I take this opportunity to thank most sincerely these generous supporters, many of whom will have made significant sacrifices in order to help the respective students.

At the same time, we must extend our warm congratulations to the teachers who have been the catalysts and mentors, and have played a key part in achieving this number of graduates. Praise and thanks also go to the Vice-Chancellor, Principal and administrative staff for ensuring that the students and teachers have an operational college in which to study and, over time, to blossom and achieve their academic targets.

As is quite widely known by now, William Pitcher Teacher Training College is to be upgraded to university rank. Infrastructure improvement work is already underway to achieve the necessary physical up-grading. The academic upgrading will represent quite a transition, certainly very welcome, but a significant challenge for all, nevertheless. One dimension, though certainly not on its own, will be the need to upgrade the academic qualifications of some of the teaching staff. In this regard I was greatly impressed to learn that a number of existing lecturers are taking Masters courses by distance learning. And funding it themselves! That shows initiative and dedication, and I congratulate them.

A further issue, already relevant, but one that will become increasingly so, is the appropriateness of college diplomas and degrees, and their curricula to the demands and needs of our economy. I doubt that anyone present needs to be told that the future prosperity of our country depends hugely on the rate of economic growth. That means growing and producing substantially more, as well as providing an extensive range of services of value.

Increasingly we are seeing the presence, soon to be a predominance, of technology in those areas. There is a need to prepare our students more appropriately and extensively to meet that need. It certainly begs for a greater preponderance of mathematics and science teachers especially for our secondary schools. That must be seen to influence the balance in the development of faculties and curricula over the coming years, in order to produce a significant higher proportion of such graduates.

Today, however, we give our attention to the present and to 128 rejoicing graduands and their noble teachers. It is a truly happy occasion, enhanced by the excellent singing and dancing that we have seen and heard.

Thank you very much for inviting me here today.

Thank you.