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