"It gives Us great pleasure to
congratulate all the students, who through their earnest efforts have
overcome the various obstacles in their way and have achieved success
in their studies. Man desires many things, but it is the individual's
duty and responsibility to desire the proper things. Anyone who makes
the wrong choices will be a burden, not only to himself but to future
generations. As We have mentioned over and over again, the test of
what you students have obtained through your education will be what
you are able to accomplish in the future. Great responsibilities await
you. You must show the real worth of your education by the way in
which you shoulder these responsibilities. We are confident that you
will bring a blessing to your country, your families, to all those who
have planned and labored for you, and to yourselves.
"This University came into being as a
result of the dreams of many years. It is indeed gratifying to note
that a larger number are graduating this year than in previous
years. This fact gives Us confidence that the many positions which
have been waiting to be filled by well qualified men and women will
increasingly be filled. This encourages Us and strengthens Our
confidence that We shall reach the goals that we have set for Our
country. Since education is one of the basic needs of any country, we
have to provide opportunities for education throughout Our Empire.
"Our many plans for development call for
skilled and well-trained personnel, men who should come from Our
various institutions of higher learning, individuals who will be the
pride of the country. It is they who will perform a real service for
their country, for any plan which does not have the proper personnel
to execute it will remain a mere plan on paper.
"We need well-qualified people who are
proud of being Ethiopians; people who are proud of being Africans;
people who are prepared to execute the plans that have already been
envisioned. These are the caliber of men who should be produced in Our
university.
"The person who, even while at school, realizes
the needs of his country and has proper sense of values and urgency
will see what is needed, and will be able to fill it. He need not be
separated from his country and its culture before being prepared to
handle a position of responsibility. It was because We realized that a
national university would help in this training process that We gladly
turned over the site and buildings which We inherited from Our father
for the establishment of this university.
"In order that this university might
maintain standards equal to those of other universities, the members
of the faculty should possess qualifications equal to those faculties
elsewhere; and the students themselves should be equal to students of
other universities. They should all be inspired by devotion to their
country and loyalty to their leaders. Steadfastness and perseverance
are invaluable in attaining these goals. We will know that this
university has reached its maturity when We can see a sufficient
number of qualified men and women being produced, and an increasing
number of students coming forward eagerly to take advantage of the opportunities
it affords.
"It is through this university and other
similar institutions of higher learning that We can best preserve the
culture of Our country and interpret Our esteemed heritage to the
world at large. We should understand, therefore, that this university
must be a place not only to prepare men and women for their various
vocations, but also to help them gain a better knowledge of their
culture and a desire to disseminate it.
"The growth of this university and the
establishment and development of other comparable institutions will
depend upon you. The increasing number of succeeding elementary and
secondary schools are not sufficient to provide instruction for all
the children of the Empire, and We are therefore planning to establish
thousands more of such institutions, but the problem is to awaken the
people to the need for such schools and to get capable
instructors to teach the various subjects in the language of the
people. We are grateful to God that today, through the training
imparted by the various colleges and faculties of the university, the
problem of teacher shortage is beginning to be solved.
The molding of the young minds of future
generations will depend upon these teachers, for theirs is a great
responsibility; and We would like to remind them that they should take
to heart this obligation and act accordingly. Education is a means of
sharpening the mind of man both spiritually and intellectually. It is
a two-edged sword that can be used either for the progress of mankind
or for its destruction. that is why it has been Our constant desire
and endeavor to develop our education for the benefit of mankind.
"A qualified man with vision, unmoved by
daily selfish interests, will be led to right decisions by his
conscience. In general, a man who knows from whence he comes and where
he is going will co-operate with his fellow human beings. He will not
be satisfied with merely doing his ordinary duties but will inspire
others by his good example. You are being watched by the nation and
you should realize that you will satisfy it if you do good; but if, on
the contrary, you do evil, it will hose its hope and its confidence in
you.
"Though life is short, one should live
and act in such a way that his achievements will bring him and his
country a good name forever. If he does not use his training for
worthy ends, he will be an enemy to himself and an obstacle to others.
He will, indeed, be sick while supposedly healthy and dead while still
alive.
"Simply watching other people's
achievements is a characteristic of the lazy man. But it is to be
hoped that Our students, properly valuing great achievements, many of
which are the result of education, will not be satisfied to be mere
onlookers, admiring the work of other men, but doers actively
participating in the development of their country. Records of the past
reveal the great achievements of our forefathers. It is up to us to
try to emulate them, for they will be standing in judgement of us.
"We have many natural resources and fertile
lands which await our skill so that they may be developed to bring
prosperity to the country. The qualified technicians are already
beginning to develop the country. Is this not a blessing brought to Us
by education?
"It is only when man becomes master of
his fate able to determine his destiny that he can be free from fears
and inferiority. Such and individual or a nation stands respected by
all. For us Africans, the conference of the Heads of States held in
May last, is an adequate proof that we are determined to be masters of
Our fate; owners of Our wealth; and capable of removing the adjective
"dark" from the name of Our continent.
"Education, that of the nation and of
the individual, is the bastion of this goal; and it's this realization
that has in the past induced Us to offer scholarships for Our fellow Africans
to study in Ethiopia.
"It was while we were yet the Crown
Prince, energized by the love for education which Our father instilled
in Us, that we vigorously pursued the path of education for Our land.
We have, ever since, perseveringly and increasingly followed that path
and we are now more than ever before convinced that it is education
that heals Africa.
"It is this conviction that has so
recently caused Us to establish with our own personal funds a trust to
assist Africans on the road to higher learning. The aim of the trust
is to enable Ethiopians and other Africans of excellence to proceed
further in their fields of pursuit.
"And you, who are graduating today,
because you have received better opportunities than your fellow
countrymen through a university education, have a new door opened to
you to struggle for that degree of excellence in the service of your
country and humanity.
"We are deeply indebted to the lecturers
and professors who have labored unceasingly to make this occasion
possible and We exhort them to work ever more in the training of young
and competent men for the service of their country. And for you who
are graduating today, may the Almighty make your future clear and
challenging."
July 2, 1963
