Varsities urged to promote business programmes

Universities and other institutions of higher learning have been asked to play a key role in the promotion of the business sector by offering highly specialised, sophisticated and demand-driven business management programmes.

Saturday, June 23, 2012
Some of the graduands who received Masters degrees at SFB yesterday. The New Times / Timothy Kisambira.

Universities and other institutions of higher learning have been asked to play a key role in the promotion of the business sector by offering highly specialised, sophisticated and demand-driven business management programmes.The call was made by the Minister of Education, Dr Vincent Biruta, yesterday, during a graduation ceremony at the School of Finance and Banking (SFB), where 529 students graduated in various fields."As economies in different parts of the world are collapsing, there is a need for our country to have prudent financial management disciplines to save us from the ravages of the crisis that are facing the world economies today,” Dr Biruta said.He added that the government encourages SFB, as a specialised institution in finance and banking, and other universities, to contribute substantially to the establishment of a critical mass of professionals that will steer the country with all its institutions to sound financial management practices.He pointed out that there was need to invest in business education in the country which he said, would enable it achieve sustainable development."Our dream is to develop highly skilled and aggressive entrepreneurs who will lead to competitive private and public sectors, and it’s in this regard that I encourage you to go and put into practice the skills and knowledge you acquired from here,” Biruta said. .The minister also noted that the government was planning the establishment of one state university, saying it will boost the efficiency and effectiveness of the higher education sector.Olivier Mugwaneza, who was the overall best student in Accounting said he would use the knowledge and skills gained from SFB to work with the government in promoting transparency in the management of public funds.