The Vice-Chancellor, Prof. N M Bhebe, Pro-Vice Chancellors, Registrar, Bursar, Librarian, Executive Deans, Directors, Chairpersons of Departments, Lecturers, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. I have an honour and privilege to express on behalf of all my fellow graduates our deepest appreciation. Our profound gratitude goes to the Vice Chancellor Prof. N M Bhebe for the opportunity he gave to us to be trained in Tertiary Education at no cost. Again special mention should be made to the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Education Prof Chiromo under whose guidance the program is running. Thank you Professor, for inspiring your team to come up with such a good and relevant programme.
Friends, graduates, and anyone who can remember the sweet taste of a welcoming future with the spice of opportunities. Let me start by saying that I am very proud to be addressing you today as the student who was enrolled and completed the Post Graduate Diploma in Tertiary Education here at Midlands State University, since August 2013 to July 2014. I would like to quote Oscar Wilde who said, “Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing worth knowing can be taught”.
Friends and colleagues, your favourite lecturers who made you feel a tiny spark of interest glowing inside you, and managed to support this spark, and helped us to discover who we are, and what we would like to do in the future.
We are now standing on the threshold of the real adult life with pedagogical and andragogical skills necessary to the tertiary education system. From now on no one will rate us an “A” or an “F” for well or poorly done homework. Midlands State University, particularly the department of Education, gave us opportunity to get good academic training, balance our personal priorities, and feel free to choose whatever path we like as qualified lecturers to teach at any tertiary institution local and abroad. The department of education made us all to acquire educational methodologies in delivering to the adult learners which is what can survive when what has been learned has been forgotten.
I hope and anticipate that we are better off with andragogical, pedagogical and instructional technological skills in delivering in a lecture room to the adult learners. We have learned so much about our interest, ourselves and so on, by imbibing knowledge and skills that socked into us through the tried, tasted and experienced educationists here at MSU.
The biggest thing we learned and we are probably speaking about a lot of us here, is that we only got one trip around this rock of educational knowledge here at MSU. The most salient issue that shall forever be remembered about the education department to most lecturers at MSU, is that they have assisted us all to research and learn about ourselves as well.
The same can be said of our wonderful university MSU, our wonderful Vice-Chancellor, Prof, Ngwabi Maluge Bhebe, Pro Vice Chancellors, Registrar, Bursar, Librarians, Executive Deans, Chairpersons of departments and lecturers from various departments. Our wonderful department of Education manned by the Executive Dean of Faculty of Education Professor. Chiromo and his team, displayed an exhilarating, exuding knowledge that they socked into our minds, despite having an avalanche of knowledge, we lacked the pedagogical and andragogical skills and methodologies to professionally deliver to the adult learners.
Ladies and gentleman, before I end my speech, I kindly request to be allowed to wish my fellow graduates all the best, and thank the institution for the opportunity we got through hard work and support.
Once again, let me wish you all luck and perseverance. I wish you all success in your life path. I hope to hear about you well before the alumni party. Whenever thinking about great moments in life, I will know whom to think of, especially the likes of, our lecturers, Vice Chancellor, Pro- Vice Chancellors and graduates of 2014 for the Post Graduate Diploma in Tertiary Education. Good luck to us all.
