Byline: Carlifonia Dube
TUT hosts its first-ever virtual graduation ceremony
All institutions of higher learning were urged to suspend all academic activities including graduations around March to cap the spread of the global pandemic COVID-19. It then resulted in the cancellation of the Tshwane University of Technology’s autumn on-campus graduation ceremonies.
For that reason, the TUT management took a decision to host its first-ever virtual graduation ceremony on the 30th of June to celebrate the achievements of their students. The ceremony was designed at conferring and awarding student’s qualifications to empower them to pursue job opportunities in the market. However, the university will still accommodate the graduates on future on-campus graduation ceremonies to offer them an opportunity to walk across the graduation stage and celebrate their achievements with families and loved ones when the situation is normalized.
“We understand the importance of celebrating this milestone with your parents, loved ones, family and friends. A TUT qualification is a powerful tool, it has paved the way for many successful people, you too, if you use the knowledge and skills that you have acquired at TUT in an innovative, creative and responsible manner, you will definitely be successful,” said TUT Vice chancellor and Principal Professor LR Van Staden at the virtual ceremony.
The people’s university awarded qualifications on close to twelve thousand students in absentia. “Go all out there to make a difference in your life and in the lives of others. Serve South Africa and the world at large with distinction,” added Van Staden.
Tut Bachelor of Education graduate Wandile Kunene said “This pandemic has taken something important from me, it was my moment to shine, even if they said we will graduate next year. I would have waited. To me, they should have postponed. I wanted a memory that I will share with my mother, kids and my sister who went days without food, praying without ceases until I got accepted and funded at TUT.”
Professor Van Staden encouraged the graduates to always aspire to be socially responsible citizens in SA and to make a difference where they work and where they live. “Congratulations, we as the management and the community at large knows that you will do us proud,” he said.
“Although I did not get a chance to wear my graduation gown but seeing my name on the graduation list was something big for me, especially when I got calls from my classmates saying congratulations. But hopefully, for my Btech I will have a chance to wear that gown,” concluded Public relations management graduate Sandiso Junior Nxumalo.
