Varsities must resolve people’s problems - Mbeki

 
AFRICAN higher learning institutions should provide solutions to the development challenges and opportunities facing its people across the continent.

Retired South African President Thabo Mbeki made the call in Dar es Salaam yesterday, saying African higher education research agenda tends to dwell on purely academic and scientific objectives to ensure publication in refereed journals with little regard to developmental needs. 

 

The former South African head of state was speaking at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) 46th graduation ceremony on accepting an honorary doctorate to which UDSM conferred on him for his outstanding contribution to the African renaissance and literature development.

The event was preceded by an installation of fourth phase government President Jakaya Kikwete as the new Chancellor of the oldest university in the country before presiding over the ceremony following the appointment by President John Magufuli early this year.

Paying tribute to Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, Mr Mbeki said the Father of the Nation stressed the role of higher learning institutions in development, saying the 1st African Higher Education Summit on Revitalising Higher Education for Africa’s Future used Mwalimu’s words he remarked 46 years ago.

“African higher education institutions shall commit themselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching and learning, research and scholarship, public service and provision to the development challenges,” he quoted Mwalimu.

But he said the higher learning institutions as a whole had not as yet responded to the call which Mwalimu issued in 1963, noting that universities should provide intellectual and professional contributions to the African continent to achieve its renaissance.

A total of 61 students were conferred with PhDs while 627 were awarded Master’s degrees and 5,968 students received Bachelor’s degrees plus 59 students who were bestowed with postgraduate diplomas.

Speaking earlier, UDSM Vice Chancellor, Prof Rwekaza Mukandala, said the university has set UDSM Vision 2061 to increase the enrolment rate as well as introducing programmes which would cope with the current changes, saying the university had started to implement the goals set in the vision.

“Most of the new programmes introduced by the university are aimed at creating knowledge in addressing challenges resulted from climate change and capacities building for the country in cotton clothes making,” observed the UDSM Vice-Chancellor.

Prof Mukandala, who used the event to bid farewell to the university as it’s his last graduation to preside as the Vice-Chancellor before retiring from the post, said this year’s graduation was coincided with an important university event to mark 55 years since its establishment, saying the university had registered great achievements for the past 55 years.