Our Chief Guest Dr. Roswitha Kremser at Coordination Office for Development Cooperation Austrian Embassy Kampala, invited guests, dear Graduands, the entire students’ body, all protocol observed ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to Saint Joseph’s Vocational Training Centre in Kamuli.

 Here is the day our dear graduands have been waiting for. This is the day that all of us have been waiting for; this is the day the Lord has made and given to us at saint Joseph, to celebrate the 8^th graduation. What a great day, what a beautiful day.

Let us then thank the good Lord who has been guiding all those who were involved in its preparation. It started long time ago, when each one of these graduands came for the first time to saint Joseph; it went on through the time each one spent here, learning, assisted by different staff members who gave of themselves tirelessly in order to reach this day.

 If the Lord has not been with us, we could not be here; we could not go through studies successfully, we could not come to this day. May he be praised now and forever.

 On a graduation day, graduands are rejoicing. They rejoice because the time to sit and listen to teachers is over; the time to worry about evaluations is over. Dear graduands, do not over rejoice. You have moved from a world with given challenges, you are to embrace another one with its specific challenges. Besides, you have just made a step; do not forget that there are other levels of learning skills, and the world you are going to is requesting of them too. You have received the basics which can make you get to other levels easily.

 You have been at saint Joseph, from where you received a Don Bosco’s spirit. You may forget whatever Don Bosco used to tell his young people, but do not forget the call to honesty. Honesty is the only virtue that will make you be successful and peaceful. You have been singing daily the school anthem; remember some of its words like ‘no pain, no gain’; let it still be your motto, and make you not only look for gain, but reminds you to accept the pain that might precede the gain.

To our dear chief guest, we would like to let you know that our institution has made steps in history. It has managed to be the leading institution in the area. From recently, we have come up with an organized solar course which is also responding to the environmental concern.  Of course we are still struggling with many things: we wish to equip our library and our computer lab, we are hoping one day to get updated machinery and equipment in our workshops. We always struggle whenever we have to go outside our compound, because we do not have a school bus. From recently, two of our departments – catering and hairdressing – have seen an increase in the registration of female students. These two departments are without appropriate workshops.  We are not discouraged by challenges, because we know to live equal to face challenges.

Dear graduands, dear invited guests, dear friends of saint Joseph, let me end thanking everybody for attending this graduation. Let it not be the last day to be with us, keep checking on us; keep supporting our work from wherever you will be. Together we can build up a better tomorrow. May God bless you.

 Father Ferdinand Ntunzwenimana,

Principal