During his welcome address at the Autumn Graduation Ceremony of the NWU’s campus in Vanderbijlpark, Prof Mashinge, told graduates that participation in higher education alone is not sufficient to ensure progress. He explained that graduates should apply their skills and knowledge in a way that would not only serve fellow South Africans, but also inspire them to excel.
Graduates are agents of change
To further impress upon the graduates the magnitude of a tertiary qualification within the South African context, Prof Susan Coetzee van Rooy, referred to the startling statistic that two thirds of all South African children who start out in primary school will not go on to complete a tertiary qualification. “As you are seated here you represent the hopes and dreams of millions of South Africans and as such you should be agents of change. Make it your mission revolutionise the mind sets and actions of your fellow countrymen by living a life of purpose and care.”
Autumn Graduation Ceremony
The second day of the four-day graduation ceremony saw 331 students graduating in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences and the Faculty of Humanities. Apart from undergraduate degrees, the day also saw the conferring of 35 honours degrees and 20 master’s degrees.
The campus’ Autumn Graduation Ceremony will see more than 1 000 students take to the stage to receive their qualifications. The four-day graduation ceremony, consisting of 11 sessions, is taking place at the Quest Conference Estate in Vanderbijlpark.
* During the April/May graduation period the NWU will confer 18 000 qualifications across its three campuses. This will include 800 master’s and 300 doctoral degrees.
Gift Nkosi was named as Top Performer within the Diploma of Sport Science group. She was congratulated by Prof Susan Coetzee van Rooy, Prof Natasha de Klerk and Prof Herman van der Merwe.
