The Minister of National Unity Timothy Pagonachi Mtambo has challenged institutions of higher learning in Malawi to offer programmes that prepare their students with knowledge, skills and attitudes that can make them relevant and competitive on the job market.
Mtambo observed that the job market is becoming awash and saturated with graduates scrambling for the apparently few job opportunities; hence, the need for universities to produce graduates who can withstand competition.
He made the remarks in Mzuzu on Friday during a finale gala dinner for the Ekwendeni Campus of the University of Livingstonia.
The minister reminded the finales that gone are the days when having a university degree was a guarantee to getting a job.
"The journey, in other words, has just begun for all of you," he said, "Therefore, you must have a goal in your life. When you are pursuing a goal, have persistence that doesn't recognize failure. Failure should not be part of your vocabulary. And connect yourselves to the right people. Many people have failed in their lives because they connected themselves to the wrong people."
Mtambo also advised the finales to desist from being jealous with those who are doing well in life, stressing that the best strategy they can use is to connect themselves to the successful to achieve their goals.
"Those that are good and better should become your allies because that is how you will become stronger. That is the principle I have used since my childhood. When you associate yourselves with failures, you will become failures as well," he stressed.
On the other hand, Mtambo expressed gratitude to the University of Livingstonia for offering programmes in theology, development studies and human rights, which he said are important for the development of Malawi.
The minister said these courses are also in line with the Malawi 2063, which the current Tonse Alliance government launched in January 2021.
The aspiration of Malawi 2063,which succeeded the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy (MGDS III), is to see Malawi becoming an upper middle-income economy by the year 2063.
"The Malawi 2063 has been formulated around three main pillars that will help the country to become an upper middle-class income economy by 2063 and these pillars are:
i. Agricultural Productivity and Commercialization ii. Industrialization and
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ii. Urbanization.
For the three pillars to be attained, the framers of the Malawi 2063 isolated 7 enablers and Human Capital Development is among such enablers. I am, therefore, proud to say that UNLIA has been and is contributing towards the achievement of this enabler through the provision of tertiary education," said Mtambo.
According to the minister, developing human capital through education and skills development, science, technology and innovation plays a pivotal role in the transformation of the economy.
He, however, lamented that the majority of the youth do not have the requisite skills or financial capabilities to support the development agenda of the country.
"You should, therefore, count yourselves lucky and thank your parents and guardians for giving you an opportunity to access higher education at this institution. With the capacity of our citizenry developed, the country will fully harness its resource potential and expeditiously achieve the agriculture productivity and commercialization, industrialization and urbanization agenda," said Mtambo.
