Bomi County – On Tuesday, over eight hundred students walked out of the walls of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion University.
The graduates were dressed in Black garment, with medal, coloured yellow and white as their faces beamed with smiles.
Serving as the Keynote Speaker Former President Pro-Tempore Gbezhongar Findley stressed that the timing of the graduation is crucial to the new direction the country is about to head.
“This 2016 class, these elections will help sustain our democracy, this class is graduating at a crucial point before the start of a new dispensation,” Findley said.
The former Pro-Tempore recounted Liberia ugly past of civil unrests adding that the country has made significant gains since 2006.
“We witnessed a complete violence and civil war, and collapse of our economy, we have seen a transformation in Liberia, freedom of speech and how we run a civilized government,” he added.
The Board Chairman of Liberia Airport Authority challenged the graduates that the pace of change in Liberia rest on their shoulders.
“The pace of change depend on you, these changes come 2017, will offer not only great opportunity for you as graduates but could poise great threat to the economic viability and our sustainable peace and democracy, you have chosen knowledge over ignorance,” Findley added.
The former Pro-Tempore continued: “Accepting this invitation is informed by my belief that the institutionalization of the culture of strong academic excellence is the hallmark for post war growth and development, building on the new sustainable goal.”
Findley urged actors in the academic sector to do more in order to move Liberia education to another level.
“I like to admonish the Commission on Higher Education, Ministry of Education including every Liberian citizen to stand by this action aimed at making our system second to none thus providing quality and best minds for our overall growth”, he said.
“The foundation must be from free school to tertiary education, the education system must gravitate from where we are now, to become consistent with article six of the Liberian constitution, which requires for the state to provide facility and opportunity for every citizen to strive or achieve excellence,” he said.
Findley told the graduates that education goes beyond the classroom adding that self-determination and rational decision making are important to self-actualization.
“Education is not only acquire in the rectangle wall of a classroom but rather a self-determination and rational decision making of an individual, like you the graduate I too went through the same academic achievements to get me where I am today, I spent sleepless nights to get where I am.
Education doesn’t stop after you walk out of the walls of African Methodist Episcopal Zion University, it is how you build your network with community and society that gets to level where you positively contribute to the growth and development of your nation,” Findley said.
The former Pro-Tempore furthered: “It is important to note that during these processes there will be troubling times, where you must figure out how you proceed in achieving your life goal with good integrity, as you try to achieve your goal, I want to thank AMEZU, you have trained some of the best minds in Liberia, the need to continue in this path cannot be over emphasized considering the current state of affairs of our educational sector.”
LAA Board Chairman assured the graduates that they will soon be the movers and shakers of Liberia.
“I can assure you graduates that you will soon be the movers and shakers and stakeholders of our society, making the necessary impact, the tool of rebuilding Liberia depend on you, to you the graduates from all across the 15 political sub-divisions of our country,” Findley said.
Findley added: It is about time that the older generation creates an opportunity for the younger generation to explore the job market, for too long the younger generation has been left with decade of lack of academic and workable experience, it is difficult for them to enter the job market.”