Bereng Mpaki
EIGHT hundred and thirty-three students from Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (LUCT) graduated during the institution’s 10th graduation ceremony.
The pre-recorded footage of the event was later broadcast on national television last Saturday.
Limkokwing was forced to hold the event virtually this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The virus has so far claimed 183 lives while 9380 infections have been recorded as of 5 February 2021. Lesotho is currently on a lockdown therefore holding the graduation virtually was the best for Limkokwing.
Graduates were from the faculties of Communication, Media and Broadcasting, Business and Globalisation, Information Technology, Design and Innovation, Creativity in Tourism and Hospitality and Architecture and the Build Environment.
Delivering his remarks during the ceremony, LUCT’s founder and president, Tan Sri Dato Paduka Limkokwing congratulated the graduands and thanked their parents and guardians without whom they would not have succeeded.
“May I wish you the most amazing journey as you step out to design a future of your own,” Dr Limkokwing said.
“Soon you will be known for the designs you will create, the music you produce, the films you direct, the buildings you will design and the fashion statements that you will make. You are simply among the best not in Africa but the entire world.
“You will be celebrated as the best game-changers that this country and Africa has ever seen. I am certain you will find yourself in faraway places soon enough and making contributions that will make the world a better place.”
Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro, who also delivered a virtual speech, applauded the university for leading Lesotho’s technology advancement.
He congratulated the class of 2020 for pulling through the tough times presented by the Covid-19 pandemic. He however, said holding the ceremony virtually must have been relatively easy given the university’s prowess in the technological sphere.
“LUCT graduates have demonstrated unique technological abilities and skills in various work environments in this country, and I pray that the university and its graduates will continue to lead by example,” Dr Majoro said.
Meanwhile, the university management said the 2020 academic year was challenging as classes had to be intermittently paused as part of the country’s Covid-19 response measures.
The university said the accompanying temporary shutting down of the campus made learning even more difficult for students.
Out of 833 students graduating this year, the university said 536 participated in internship programmes, 36 of whom were placed in-house at the Limkokwing Entrepreneurship Acceleration Platform (LEAP). The other 500 got industry internship.
“Given the quality of education that the students have been equipped with, they are expected to grip a mindset that goes beyond employability but emphasizes groundbreaking capacity and industry leadership, as international graduates that are tech savvy thinkers, accomplished, enterprising, adaptive, competitive and above all citizens who will understand creativity and innovation and who will decide on ways Lesotho will transform and reach it goals by 2020,” the university said.
