ONGWEDIVA – A wheelchair-bound former soldier, who owned the stage at the Ongwediva Unam graduation last Friday, said he still wants to study further.
The 47-year-old Asser Ngifiwanghoto, who was conferred a diploma in Local Government Studies, said he wanted to register with the University of Namibia (Unam) for a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Management this year, but he did not have registration fees.
Nghifiwanghoto said he lost his job after he was involved in a car accident in 2016. Although he spent two years in hospital, going back to university was more of a hunger for purpose than a thirst for knowledge.
For many, becoming a student in his condition is not hot on the agenda.
“Being a breadwinner forced me to
go back to school, hoping to get a job again. I am informed that due to my condition, I cannot go back to the Namibian Defence Force (NDF). If it was other ministries, I would have gone back to work,” he stated.
Over and above, going back to the books and committing to a thesis for those years with his condition is because his goal was also linked to the literal light of others.
Nghifiwanghoto said his ideas focused on local government, looking at the best course of action Namibia as a country can take to reach the light at the end.
“It is necessary to have a purpose, and I wanted a subject that would challenge me and would give a positive result for all Namibians, especially the unemployed and poor,” he said.
He noted that disability is not inability, as people who are disabled can still do something for themselves.
Meanwhile, about 900 students from Unam’s northern campuses from the faculties of education, engineering, health and agriculture graduated on Friday in Ongwediva. At the same event, Higher Education, Technology and Innovation Minister Itah Kandjii-Murangi reminded the graduates to be conscious, as they are living in a globally-competitive world where success is dependent on knowledge acquisition, application, innovation and productivity. The minister said it is gratifying to note the increase in students studying in various fields at the northern campuses. “Students in the field of engineering increased from 30 in 2009 to over 820 in 2024, with female engineering students increasing from 22% in 2012 to 32% this year,” she said. She added that international students constitute 10% of the engineering student population. The minister indicated that 552 students, including doctorate and master’s degrees, have graduated in the field of engineering since its establishment 15 years ago.
“I am calling on graduates to go out into the competitive world of work, demonstrate their professional capabilities, and show positive change.”
Graduates in natural science are expected to explore and discover, while engineers are critical to achieving infrastructure development in Namibia,” she said. Unam’s vice chancellor, Professor Kenneth Matengu called on the graduates to go out and look for work, not a job. “Jobs are things we do for salaries, but they are not always fruitful. Work is something that we human beings do productively to meet human needs,” he added.