Although with the Covid-19 pandemic and two decades of economic downturn the situation in Zimbabwe looks dire, a bright future awaits those who dare to dream, graduates of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators in Zimbabwe have been told.
Speaking at one of a series of graduation ceremonies at Dzidzo House in Harare, guest of honour Peter Kadzere, a former institute president, said many of the graduands might be wondering whether there was any hope or any future for them.
“Yes there is a future, a bright future for those who dare to dream,” he told those who were graduating.
Two hundred and sixty students graduated altogether in a series of graduation ceremonies conducted on Friday, Saturday and Monday, with some attending a physical graduation at which social distancing was observed and others graduating virtually as they followed the proceedings online.
Mr Kadzere urged those who were graduating to believe in themselves.
“The biggest difference between successful people and unsuccessful people is not intelligence, opportunity or resources but a belief that they can achieve their goals,” he said.
“Life does not usually follow the plans we lay out for ourselves. There are ups and downs in life. True success will be defined by how one responds to these circumstances,” he said.
The Institute’s president, Mr Taona Munzvandi, also urged the graduands to dream and think big.
“I call upon graduands to think big and to dream not based on what is but on what might be,” he said.
He said the Covid-19 pandemic had shown that “we fail together; we succeed together and we are humanity together”.
“You have entered a new chapter in your professional life to face a world full of new challenges and opportunities brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.
“It is my conviction that the rigorous examinations of our institute have prepared you to conquer the world. This is because our qualifications are not just academic but practical in scope.
“The intention of our education and training model is to mould a complete professional who can positively contribute to the economy and play a part in helping communities improve their quality of life,” he said.
.Despite the small gatherings and the social distancing, students demonstrated the same enthusiasm and joy at their graduation as is ordinarily experienced at the larger ceremonies held in previous years.
Mr Kadzere urged all the graduating students, whether physically present or participating online, to be prepared to take on new challenges in their career or professional life.
“You can decide to let the limitations of the prevailing macroeconomic environment determine where you end in life. You can decide to see opportunities within the same environment and be prepared to take on the world,” he said.
After telling them that with their new qualification they were armed with “the master key to open any career door”, he told them to take note that it was not the qualification itself that counts but what they had learned on the way to achieving it and what they would do with the concepts, principles, discipline and ideas they had acquired during their years of study.
“Your future is in your hands and no-one else’s. All you need is self-belief as you grab opportunities as they present themselves,” he said.
