BY MBONGENI NDLELA
KWALUSENI – The University of Eswatini (UNESWA) has reached a historic milestone, producing a record 1 510 graduates during its 43rd graduation ceremony held at Kwaluseni.
The figure marks the highest number of graduates in the institution’s history, signalling both academic growth and the government’s sustained investment in higher education.
The graduating cohort included 174 certificates, 15 diplomas, 1 274 degrees, and 47 master’s qualifications, with police officers among those receiving diplomas in Police Science, a product of UNESWA’s collaboration with the Eswatini Police Academy. This milestone, according to Thwala, reflects both government’s unwavering support and UNESWA’s adaptability to the country’s skills demand.
Scholarship allocations continue to play a critical role, with 1 700 scholarships awarded in 2024, bringing the total number of government-sponsored students to 5 600. This represents 65% of UNESWA’s 8 600 students, including 145 international students from countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the USA.
Professor Thwala acknowledged the challenges of graduate unemployment but highlighted proactive steps taken by UNESWA. New programmes such as postgraduate diplomas in Public Sector Accounting, Taxation, and Neonatology, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Actuarial and Financial Mathematics, are being introduced to align graduates with global job markets.
The Vice Chancellor concluded that the growing graduate output is not only a reflection of institutional resilience but also a testament to His Majesty’s government’s consistent investment in education.
“Our graduates today embody the nation’s future, skilled, diverse, and ready to contribute to Eswatini’s socio-economic growth,” he affirmed.
