Somalilandsun- “I hereby take this opportunity to extend my congratulations to University Students Graduating in Somaliland as well as their parents and tutors”
This congratulatory message was by President Muse Bihi Abdi who was guest of honour during the 15th University of Hargeisa Graduation ceremony held on the 28th Aug 2018.
The head of state was accompanied by numerous government and education sector officials as well as other prominent personalities among them education minister Prof Yasin Faraton, interior Minister Mohamed Kahin, Chief Justice Prof Adan Haji Ali and first the Somaliland deputy president Hasan Isse Jama as well as officials representing the three national political parties among others.
Adorned in regular University graduation garb president Bihi awarded degrees to top students from each faculty as well as honorary degrees to a select few, acknowledged by the national institution of higher learning
“Now that you have successfully completed your higher education studies be steadfast in endeavors towards the Development of your country and people” said the president adding that a youth program is set for implementation next year ( watch this site for full details)
At the same function an unprecedented event took place as the president publicly recognized duty diligence by a police Chief warrant officer 3 Muhumed Ismail Farah attached to the Traffic department in Hargeisa.
Upon awarding the police officer a medal of recognition the head of state also promoted him one rank up, thence now a first lieutenant.
The 15th University of Hargeisa graduation ceremony culminated with the hundreds of witness mostly parents , relatives or guardians of the graduates mingling for memorabilia photographs.
Prior to officiating the graduation the presidential entourage inspected various developments at the campus from which President Muse Bihi Abdi cut the ribbon to a new conference hall and laid foundation stone to a new laboratory he had promised the institution during a visit on the 22nd May 2018.
Though it is worthy of mention that Somaliland is increase its number of Bachelor level graduates annually courtesy of its almost 20 universities, availing employment opportunities is a major its is challenge for the administration , while the tendency to offer mostly business and IT related studies confounds this constrain further.
As per Empirical knowledge, most graduates whose specialization is business administration with an accounting bias and information technology as well as environmental studies are the ones that find it difficult to secure jobs.
This is as a result of market saturation since graduates from science faculties like veterinary, engineering and medicine are quickly snapped for employment by both the private and public sectors even before they graduate.
Another seemingly major constraint leading to scarce employment opportunities is the total absence of polytechnics providing tertiary studies like accounts clerks, mechanics, veterinary, environmental and agricultural as well as public health, draughtsmen, and WASH extension officers, not to forget teachers.
This absence of tertiary studies in Somaliland results in the prevalent status that see a large cadre of expatriates mostly from Kenya filling up the gap.
It is therefore imperative that rather than the never ending threats issued by every Somaliland administration to the fact that the expatriates must leave because they are taking up jobs that locals can perform, this incumbent state apparatus must first ensure the Said locals are actually trained in the related tertiary.
Accordingly the first step should be the formulation of a plan whose objective is to degrade half the existing universities to polytechnics each with a specific set of faculties, as opposed to current in which almost all the over 20 institutions have exactly similar faculties.
In the meantime the www.somalilandsun.com editorial board congratulates the fifteenth Batch university of Hargeisa graduates and wish all of them successfully expedited job placement Inshallah!
