President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera has said the construction of the Mzuzu University Auditorium and Library is part of his administration's commitment to realize the dream of transforming the university into a world class center of excellence.
Speaking at the Commemoration of the Mzuzu University Silver Jubilee Celebrations and the 25th Congregation of Mzuzu University, Chakwera said government allocated close to half a billion kwacha to the projects as a way of uplifting the standard of education in the country.
"It was 25 years ago that the extraordinary journey of Mzuzu University began and I find it remarkable that what started as a teacher training college has now become an academic giant we celebrate today.
"I want to assure you that my administration is doing all it can to increase the availability of academic resources. However, the future we inspire can't be realised with government effort alone. We need partnership from all sectors," said Chakwera.
Chakwera called upon the private sector to support public education institutions, saying they all work hand in hand in development.
"Our mindset of partnership must change. Don't take your investment into public institutions as charity but an investment. For instance, it is in the interest of legal firms in the legal sector to invest in schools where we train their lawyers," he said.
Chakwera then challenged the graduands to grow their ideas and become more resilient, saying those who graduated before them only paved a way for them to achieve greater things.
In his remarks, Vice Chancellor for Mzuzu University, Professor Wales Singini described the 25 years of service as a testimony of commitment, passion and excellence of both students and staff in contributing to the country's education success.
"Reaching 25 years of delivering tertiary education, quality research and outreach has been made possible by selfless individuals who dedicated their time and resources to shape the great minds we see today. We are in the process of reviewing our curriculum to establish a number of vibrant centres of excellence in the promotion of ICT, renewable energy and other key development areas," said Singini.
In her remarks, Chairperson for the Mzuzu University Council, Ambassador Hawa Ndilowe thanked the President for gracing the occassion, saying the occassion marked a celebration of the university's achievements since it opened it's doors in 1998.
"Today we not only celebrate the graduation of our 2022 graduands, but we also reflect on our journey as a tertiary institution. We started with only one faculty in 1998 and had 73 students. Now we have a total of six faculties and about 8,649 students.
"I therefore urge the graduands to make good use of the opportunities gained and exercise integrity and good ethics," Ndilowe said