Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia with some of the graduating students
Vice President Dr Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia has charged the first batch of students graduating from the Madina Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) to seize opportunities that will come their way as they enter the job market.
Speaking at the school’s first congregation and fourth matriculation ceremony held on Friday, July 29, 2021, the Vice President admonished the graduating students to leverage the knowledge and skills they have acquired from the school.
“As you walk out of the gates of M.I.S.T., you are going to begin a new life full of challenges, prospects and opportunities. Be willing to accept the challenges of life and the workplace and be courageous to seize the opportunities that come your way, leveraging the knowledge and skills you have acquired and the networks you have built during your stay here. Life is like a sinusoidal wave. There are times when you will soar, and there are times when you would fall. But with the training you have received here, I believe you will persevere when you fall, and you will recover stronger and wiser. Do not get carried away when you soar.”
“Be humble and respect those below you and those around you as well as those above you. As you go through the ups and downs of life, try to find the purpose of your creation, and when you do, try to live your life serving that purpose to the best of 7 your ability and capability. Remember to draw strength from your relationship with your creator and to live the motto of M.I.S.T.; learn here, lead everywhere,” the Vice President said.
Vice President Bawumia in his address, noted that the government of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, by virtue of its political will and moral courage, has achieved a lot of feats that has set the nation on the path of development.
He, however, stated that the achievements of the government require the right human capital coupled with the right knowledge and skillsets, working with the right toolkit to enable “us make the right and impactful decisions” and therefore emphasized the need for partnership between universities, industry and government.
“Indeed, there is a lot more that we, as government, in partnership with the universities and research institutions, can do on the back of the Science and Technology Policy launched by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at Peduase Lodge on January 21, 2019. The thrust of this policy towards national development rests on ensuring that science, technology and innovation drive all sectors of the economy, not just the service sector. As a government, we are determined to lay a strong foundation for the transformation of this economy from a Guggisberg economy that relies on the proceeds from the sale of natural resources in their raw state to an industrial economy that feeds on proceeds of the sale of manufactured products,” he added.
On his part, the President of MIST, Professor Abdul Salifu Asuro, delivering his speech at the ceremony, advised the students to, among other things, eschew get-rich-quick habits, immerse themselves in whichever work they find themselves doing, and as well endeavour to create jobs for themselves.
“For the past four years, you have subjected yourselves to a particular way of thinking and training so you can solve society’s problems from a specialized viewpoint. In practising your profession, you need to be reminded that you are only a member of a large team that is addressing society’s problems. Eschew get-rich-quick habits, and immerse yourself in your work. Create a job if you cannot find one. Finally, remember to maintain your current network of friends, for like cola nuts’ the older your friendship, the better,” he said.
In all, sixty-one (61) students, forty-six from the Business School and fifteen from the Engineering School, graduated on the day.
Also, the ceremony saw the matriculation of some seventy-six (76) freshers admitted to study various Diploma and Bachelor courses.
Professor Asuro, in his address, revealed that the school had plans to introduce new courses, thus B.A. Arabic Education, B.A. Computer Science, BSc Nursing and Midwifery in the next academic year to satisfy demands of its target market following research done by the University