Luanda — The minister of Finance, Vera Daves, exhorted students this Saturday to develop critical thinking, in order to face fallacious arguments in social media or in any other circumstance in life.
Speaking at a master lecture that served to open the Catholic University of Angola (UCAN)'s 2022/2023 academic year, the minister stated that in addition to all its potentialities, critical thinking is currently the most powerful tool to tackle collectively the fake news situation, false narratives and other outliers, usually defamatory of someone or some institution.
"You students today are part of the digital area, against the background of digital immigrants in which I am included, coming from the analogic world. That is why it is crucial to stimulate and value your critical thinking, along with talent, a culture of risk and innovation", she advised.
She urged the students to have good purposes in their actions, so that they can give the country and Angolan society a good and prosperous future.
"(You must) Dare to dream and make your dreams come true. Everytime look for the right answer to the question of ethics", she said.
On her turn, the UCAN rector, Maria da Assunção, assured that they will increase more quality in all the services that they provide to the community in order to maintain the reputation that it gained from national companies, public and private institutions.
According to the also university lecturer, many managers have been willing to make available scholarships or offer professional internships to the best students, guaranteeing employment for some.
The Uíge bishop, Dom Joaquim Nyangana Tyombe, who celebrated the mass that marked the opening of the academic year, stressed that the quality of education 2022/23 will not depend only on refined professional technical skills, distinct intellectual students or efficient professionals, but rather on attitudes and behaviour.
He added that it will also depend on the worked and transformed people, dialogue capacity, institutional peace promotion, cooperation and efficacy of team work or vice-versa.
Created by the Episcopal Conference of Angola and Sao Tome and Principe (CEAST), the opening of the first UCAN academic year was held on 22 February 1999 with Propaedeutics Courses (year 0) in Law and Economics.
