They laboured to achieve what they had set out to do in life. The fruits of their hard labour finally paid off when the University of Venda (Univen) Chancellor and renowned businessman, Cyril Ramaphosa presented 15 masters degrees, 20 honours degrees, 333 undergraduate degrees and 277 diplomas and certificates to graduates during a graduation ceremony held at the Univen Auditorium on Saturday.

Invited guests and parents ululated as the hard-working graduates ascended the stage to receive a pat on the shoulder for their undying educational fighting spirit.

Ramaphosa told the graduates that they are the academic cream of the nation and urged them to read more to acquire knowledge to develop their communities. He said their hard work is unquestionable and urged them to use the knowledge that they acquired from the university to make positive contributions in their societies. He complemented the university staff for making learning conducive for the students.

“It will be a mistake not to thank the parents and guardians for spending the little they have on the education of their children. Most of the parents in this part of the country are unemployed but they have done everything to make sure that their children receive education.”

He said to the graduates: “I therefore urge you to be good ambassadors of our university, your families and your country because you have a meaningful role to play in shaping this country.”

Masvingo State University Vice-Chancellor Prof OE Maravanyika congratulated Univen on her achievement in manpower development through education. “We are celebrating the fruits of hard work by the university because she had involved herself in higher education and training of community members. We are also celebrating academic growth of the graduates for the sustenance of manpower development for both the private and public sectors. This graduation therefore symbolizes the birth of a group of critical thinkers who are ready to play their roles in the economic development of this country and the Southern African region as a whole. I am sure society greatly awaits to test the graduates for their skills, values and attitudes expected of university graduates.”

Maravanyika urged the graduates to apply their academic skills in daily life situations. “Education is not merely an accumulation of knowledge and skills, but a complex process of acquiring conceptual schemes and understanding of principles taking place in various areas. Education is concerned with the passing on of relevant practical skills for survival, knowledge in its various forms for understanding and attitudes that decide on the values we espouse. Education involves harnessing one’s intellectual faculties to understand why things are the way they are at home, at work and within our geographical boundaries. We must continue to seek to improve the relevance of our curriculum so that it mirrors the power play of our social realities.”