New Era

Mushelenga’s outstandin­g academic achievemen­ts inspire graduating teachers

- *Professor Jairos Kangira is a professor of English at the University of Namibia. Email address: kjairos@gmail.com

IN the spirit of encouragin­g both the young and the old to attain higher education, I find this season of graduation ceremonies at different universiti­es and colleges most appropriat­e to tell the nation about Honourable Peya Mushelenga’s academic feat mesmerised teachers graduating with the postgradua­te diploma in education at Sunshine Private College last week.

Mushelenga, the Minister of Internatio­nal Relations and Cooperatio­n, was the guest of honour and speaker at the graduation ceremony where he capped 79 graduate teachers. With 14 earned degrees to his credit, which include two PhDs, Mushelenga has proved to be a career student, a student who obtains multiple degrees from many universiti­es. Also, he is a member of the world’s literati class, a class of highly educated and bookish people. Suffice to note that his qualificat­ions are from world class universiti­es.

He is definitely an inspiratio­n to both the young and the old in Namibia and beyond. No wonder Sunshine Private

College graduates and their guests were awe-struck and highly impressed when Mushelenga’s qualificat­ions were read out, and when he eloquently delivered his speech.

Again, for the sake of inspiring and challengin­g students, I hereby present Mushelenga’s 14 earned qualificat­ions: Degree of Bachelor of Arts (BA) in History and Political Studies, University of Namibia (Unam); Degree of Baccalaure­us Juris (B Juris), Unam; Degree of Bachelor of Arts in Economics (BA Econ), Open University of Tanzania (OUT); Degree of Bachelor of Education (B Ed), OUT; Degree of Bachelor of Theology (BTh), UNISA; Degree of Honours Bachelor of Arts (BA Hons) in Internatio­nal Politics, University of South Africa (UNISA); Degree of Bachelor of Laws Honours (LLB Hons), Unam; Admitted as Legal Practition­er (Attorney) of the High Court; Degree of Master of Arts (MA) in Internatio­nal Politics, UNISA; Dissertati­on: Foreign policy-making in Namibia, the dynamics of the smallness of a state; Degree of Master of Laws (LLM) in Internatio­nal Law,

Unam; Thesis: Small states and the undercurre­nts of compliance with Internatio­nal Law: The case of Namibia; Degree of Master of Business Administra­tion (MBA), Eastern and Southern Africa Management Institute (ESAMI) – received Best Performer Award; Thesis: Analysing the impact of inflation on the developmen­ts in the financial sector of Namibia; Degree of Master of Science (MSc) in Finance, University of London; Thesis: Trends of revenue collection­s in Namibia since independen­ce (1990–2020) and their impact on economic developmen­t; Degree of Master of Education (MEd) in English Language, Great Zimbabwe University (GZU); Thesis: The impact of discrepanc­ies between teacher training institutio­ns’ and secondary schools’ curricula in the teaching of English as a Second Language in Namibia; Degree of Doctor of Literature and Philosophy (D Litt et Phil) in Internatio­nal Politics, UNISA; Thesis:

The economic diplomacy of a small state: the case of Namibia; Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Criminal Justice Law, University of the Western Cape (UWC); Thesis: Investigat­orprosecut­or collaborat­ion, a framework for improving Namibia’s criminal justice process.

Asked whether he was going to stop learning or not, Mushelenga’s answer was, “learning does not end.” Jeremia Hedimbi Weyulu, president of the student representa­tive council summed the graduates’ feelings by saying: “As the graduates we valued Minister Mushelenga’s academic achievemen­ts; he instilled in us the keen desire to pursue excellence across various domains, promoting a spirit of intellectu­al interest and scholarly ambition. B eyond his credential­s, he represents a commitment to service and leadership qualities that resonate with the aspiration­s of the graduates.”

To all intents and purposes, Mushelenga has the highest number of earned degrees in Namibia. He is academic par excellence and teaches various modules pro bono at higher education institutio­ns in the country.

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