Graduations should be fun and inspirational because they are events that demonstrate the incredible power of education.
On this note, I would like to express my disappointment about a graduation ceremony that took place on Wednesday, 18 May, at the Tshwane University of Technology’s eMalahleni campus in Mpumalanga. The ceremony was scheduled to start at 12pm but by that time, it had not started.
When it finally began, graduates were let inside the hall while their family members queued for entry outside.
By the time families were let into the hall, a total of six graduates had already been called to the stage. This meant their family members could not see them accept their qualifications, let alone cheer for them.
It was heartbreaking for parents who had travelled long distances to see their children graduate miss that precious moment.
The university was not considerate in this regard by calling the graduates to the stage while their families were still outside the hall.
Again, in the process of calling the graduates,the university official tasked to do that was in a big hurry, as other graduates’ names would be called while the one before them was still on the stage receiving their qualification. This also steals the limelight for the first graduate to be called as he/she had to share the stage with others. names of graduates were called in quick succession. This didn’t give them enough time on stage to enjoy the limelight.
It is always pleasing to the eye to see an institution such as the University of KwaZulu-Natal using these ceremonies to celebrate graduates’ achievements by devoting enough for the students to enjoy themselves. What happened at TUT eMalahleni on that day was a total disregard of the graduates’ efforts.The event The event was all about the institution’s staff rather than about the graduates and their familiesThere was not even a single choir to add ambience to the occasion.didn’t last even an hour despite the many graduates that were there. I feel that rushing through the event just to get home on time was an injustice to those who worked hard to achieve those qualifications.
) Malphia Honwane Gottenburg, eManyeleti
