The joy of obtaining a degree

NYARUGENGE - In many African countries societies, tertiary education that results in the eventual acquisition of a degree is viewed as the road to success. Acquiring a degree in African tradition means success for the degree bearer and all his beneficiaries in the family. As one of the successful degree bearers who participated at the Independent Institute of Lay Adventists of Kigali (INILAK) graduation ceremony, which was held last Sunday at Nyamirambo stadium, I could not help but enthusiastically report on the events that characterized the day. After many years of hard work, patience and sacrifice, the joy was evident on every INILAK finalist’s face as they could not hide their smiles. As they were bestowed their respective Bachelor Degrees in various disciplines, Yvonne Uwanyigira, a finalist in Information Management could not withhold from saying, “Patience pays.”With close to 1600 student finalists receiving their Bachelor Degrees awards in Business Administration, Information Management and Law, the ceremony was colourful. Majority of those whose dreams for a degree became true, were Civil Servants and employees of private and public companies. The acquisition of a degree to them meant job security as they triumphantly conceptualized the privileges of having brighter futures, with hopes of further promotions and salary increment. Many of those in this category went through four years of painful times, where they had to sacrifice time and brain work to study, while at the same time they performed their official work duties to earn a living so as to look after their families. “This day means a lot to me and my entire family, said Hosea Sabiti, a 2007 Law student. The second category of finalists comprised of young lads, whose faces were beaming with excitement. They were now ready to compete with the rest of the academic giants in the job market countrywide. Previously, applications for jobs by undergraduates were turned down by various employers, just because INILAK university had no official accreditation from the Ministry of Education. In his letter to the students Dr. Jean Ngamije, the Rector of INILAK who was absent, called for more hard work from each of student finalists. “I challenge you to work even harder for the next stages of your life, because hurdles will be higher, but the rewards will undoubtedly be greater,” Ngamije wrote in his letter. As the celebrations concluded, it was no surprise that female students had outnumbered their male counterparts, as they graduated at a whooping number of 843 against 752 male finalists. Ends