NAIROBI, MAY 29, 2015 (CISA) – Berhaneyesus Cardinal Souraphiel, the Chancellor of the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA) has said that higher education should be for more than achieving basic needs.
“Today higher education is increasingly being narrowed down only to prepare a person for the labour market; to get a job and earn a living, on the contrary higher education must exceed this basic need,” said Cardinal Souraphiel who is also the Archbishop of the Metropolitan Diocese of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Chair of the Association of Member Episcopal Conference of Eastern Africa (AMECEA).
Cardinal Souraphiel was speaking during CUEA’s 31st Graduation Ceremony held at its main Campus in Langata in which 709 graduands were awarded diplomas and degrees.
“It is with the full engagement of university education that we shall make it possible to create the intellectual and social economic environment for a sustainable future for all of us,” added Cardinal Souraphiel.
He further noted that the graduation was being held after the Garissa University terror attack in which 148 students were killed on April 2 and termed the incident “a great tragedy”.
“No one has a right to kill another human being. Let us be our brothers and sisters keepers and resolve conflicts using dialogue and other peaceful means,” he said.
Bishop Maurice Muhatia Makumba of the Catholic Diocese of Nakuru and Chairman of CUEA’s University Council while speaking at the ceremony said the attack was “a wakeup call to improve on formation of our youth build unity and jointly address security issues in our society.”
Bishop Muhatia called on the teaching staff, to inculcate human values and ethics in the training of the students.
“Emphasis should not only be put on preparing them to pass examinations but also to give them some moral formation as well. Teaching for passing examinations in no longer enough, we teach to make students learn how to learn,” he said.
“It is indeed a challenging task of preparing students for the ever changing world where what was relevant yesterday is fast becoming obsolete, I urge you to keep reading and researching to match the challenges of our modern time,” added Bishop Muhatia
