Education is a critical tool for self-advancement, meaningful human development and reshaping and developing communities, deputy chief justice Mandisa Maya said on Friday.

Delivering an address at Mpumalanga University, which was celebrating its 10th anniversary, Maya said: “We also know that it is essential for institutions of higher learning to respond to the living conditions and needs of their communities to enable them to improve their socioeconomic circumstances and make meaningful contribution to the country’s economic growth.”

She said young people in Mpumalanga had to travel far from home to access tertiary education at great cost while many of them lost out on life-building opportunities due to lack of funding and unemployment.

“It is for this purpose that this university was established to address the challenges relating to access to basic services by the youth from rural and disadvantaged backgrounds and to help strengthen the economic and cultural development of Mpumalanga,”

Despite being one of the newest universities in the country, the institution had made remarkable strides in creating a trailblazing centre of knowledge and producing exceptional skilled leaders.

She added the “monumental beacon of hope” was continuing to grow and had firmly positioned itself among its peers as a powerful institution that responded to socioeconomic challenges.

“What it has accomplished in a very short space of time has exceeded many expectations as evidenced by the applications in excess of 200,000 which it had received just for this academic year as it continues to attract young and old South Africans.”

Maya said the university’s milestones not only allowed it to look back and reflect but also encouraged it to look ahead and plan for a better future.

Source: TimesLIVE