On Saturday, September 18, 2021, 127 students graduated as nurses and midwives at the Catholic’s Holy Family College of Nursing and Midwifery in Phalombe after successfully completing a three-year programme.
Guest of Honour at the 2021 graduation ceremony was Archbishop Thomas Msusa of the Blantyre Archdiocese.
Leader of the Opposition in Parliament and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Vice President for the Southern Region, Kondwani Nankhumwa also attended the colourful event whose theme was, “Trained head, heart, and hands-ready to serve against all odds”.
Prior to the main activities, Archbishop Msusa conducted a holy mass. Reading of the Bible was from Psalms 34.
In his sermon, the Archbishop called upon the graduating students to show compassion and love to the nation by helping the sick without discrimination.
The Archbishop also encouraged them to be exemplary, considering that they were graduating from a Christian college.
The outspoken Catholic cleric then expressed concern over the long period that graduates spend being unemployed.
He asked the Leader of Opposition to vigorously engage the government to employ graduates quickly “instead of keeping them waiting for three years yet many people die in hospitals for lack of adequate health personnel”.
Msusa also bemoaned the government’s recent announcement to raise fertilizers prices under the Affordable Input Programme (AIP) from K4,495 to K7,500.
He said that the increase is too much, saying many poor farmers across the country will not be able to access the fertilizers.
He also accused the government of President Chakwera of scapegoating on the government paying system, Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) for delays in paying civil servants salaries and other payment lapses, which is adversely affecting social and economic progress.
The Archbishop then thanked Nankhumwa for accepting to attend the event, saying it was a clear demonstration that he greatly values education as a foundation for the country’s social and economic growth.
In his speech, the Leader of Opposition in Parliament hailed the Catholic Church for its valuable contribution in the provision of social services notably in the education and health sectors since time immemorial.
“If you have not attended a Catholic school, it means your teacher may have been at some point or your own parent or parents attended one,” said Nankhumwa, who is also Member of Parliament (MP) for Mulanje Central.
The college’s Council of Governors Chair Wellington Kazembe, Principal Ferista Kumbwemba congratulated the students for their success, calling on them “to go out there and apply the knowledge they have acquired with dedication”.
Andrew Mwale spoke on behalf of the graduating students. He said as midwives and nurses, their core responsibility will be to administer love, care, moral and spiritual support, and above all medical and nursing support.
Christian Health Association of Malawi (CHAM) Executive Director and Director of Nursing Services in the Ministry of Hearth, Tulipoko Soko, were also in attendance.
Holy Family College of Nursing and Midwifery opened its doors in 1960. Over 2000 students have graduated from the college since its inception. Expansion plans are at an advanced stage to open pharmacy and clinical medicine faculties.
