{"id":2000120040,"date":"2026-07-22T20:28:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T18:28:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/?p=2000120040"},"modified":"2026-07-22T20:28:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T18:28:26","slug":"over-1474-utab-graduates-urged-to-use-their-skills-for-national-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/over-1474-utab-graduates-urged-to-use-their-skills-for-national-development\/","title":{"rendered":"Over 1,474 UTAB graduates urged to use their skills for national development"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The ceremony was held on July 20, 2026, at the university\u2019s headquarters in Gicumbi District, where graduates were celebrated for successfully completing their academic journeys and preparing to join the labour market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UTAB Vice Chancellor, Dr. Munana Gilbert, congratulated the graduates on their achievement and encouraged them to continue developing their skills and knowledge to create opportunities for themselves and contribute to society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToday marks the beginning of another journey. The degrees you are receiving are not the end of education, but rather a foundation that will enable you to continue learning, improving your skills, and serving Rwandan society and the world at large,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He explained that quality education goes beyond helping learners remember what they have been taught, but instead prepares them to think critically, ask important questions, and develop innovative solutions to existing challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTrue education does not create people who only repeat what they have learned. It creates individuals who think deeply, ask meaningful questions, and come up with new solutions,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Munana urged the graduates to uphold values of integrity, commitment, patriotism, and hard work, which he described as important qualities promoted among students at UTAB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The university\u2019s legal representative, Bishop Papias Musengamana, said the 15th graduation ceremony reflects UTAB\u2019s continued growth and its contribution to strengthening Rwanda\u2019s education sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He noted that graduates leaving the university represent an important contribution to the country\u2019s development because the knowledge and skills they have gained will enable them to participate in solving challenges facing Rwanda and the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis demonstrates UTAB\u2019s position as a trusted partner in preparing competent and responsible professionals who are capable of addressing challenges affecting our country and the world at large,\u201d Bishop Musengamana said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the ceremony, UTAB also laid the foundation stone for the construction of a new university building that will support the improvement of education quality and research activities at the institution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bishop Musengamana said the five-storey building is expected to be completed within one year, adding that the university will work hard to ensure the project is delivered on time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe will do everything possible to ensure that this building is completed within the planned period and contributes to improving education as well as the development of Gicumbi City,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the graduates was Rogin Ifitebyose, who completed a Bachelor\u2019s degree in English and Kinyarwanda. He thanked UTAB for equipping students with knowledge and values that will continue guiding them throughout their professional lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDuring our time at UTAB, we had the opportunity to study programmes that respond to today\u2019s needs, improve our language skills, gain knowledge in technology, participate in practical learning, conduct research, and acquire other skills that will help us compete at the labour market,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Dr. Ndikubwimana Th\u00e9oneste, Head of the General Higher Education Quality Standards Department at the Higher Education Council (HEC), called on UTAB and other higher learning institutions across Rwanda to strengthen the use of technology in teaching and learning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He particularly encouraged universities to embrace emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, to ensure students acquire skills relevant to the changing global environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe encourage the leadership of this university and other institutions to increase the use of technology in teaching and learning. Artificial intelligence is developing rapidly, and students should not be left behind. Universities must invest more in these technologies,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The graduation ceremony highlighted UTAB\u2019s continued commitment to producing skilled graduates equipped with knowledge, values, and practical skills needed to contribute to Rwanda\u2019s transformation and global development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
UTAB holds 15th graduation ceremony, awards degrees to 1,474 graduates<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
UTAB Vice Chancellor, Dr. Munana Gilbert, commended the graduates for their dedication and encouraged them to continue acquiring knowledge and skills that will help them advance their personal development.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Gicumbi District Mayor, Nzabonimpa Emmanuel, attended the event.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
UTAB graduates pledge to use the knowledge and skills they acquired to drive development.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"
Dr. Joseph Nkurunziza, Principal of the College of Business and Economics at the University of Rwanda, was among those who attended the ceremony to award degrees to UTAB graduates.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The University of Technology and Arts of Byumba (UTAB) has awarded degrees to 1,474 graduates who completed studies in various academic programmes, marking the university\u2019s 15th graduation ceremony.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139,"featured_media":2000120041,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"byline":[201],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000120040","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","byline-rania-umutoni"],"bylines":[{"id":201,"name":"Rania Umutoni","slug":"rania-umutoni","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":139}],"contributors":[{"id":201,"name":"Rania Umutoni","slug":"rania-umutoni","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":139}],"featured_image":{"id":2000120041,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/0e6c6e18b4af307ccbe9d2f0c98d3a.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":420,"height":265,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/0e6c6e18b4af307ccbe9d2f0c98d3a.jpg","width":420,"height":265},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/0e6c6e18b4af307ccbe9d2f0c98d3a.jpg","width":420,"height":265},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/0e6c6e18b4af307ccbe9d2f0c98d3a.jpg","width":420,"height":265},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/0e6c6e18b4af307ccbe9d2f0c98d3a.jpg","width":420,"height":265},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/0e6c6e18b4af307ccbe9d2f0c98d3a.jpg","width":420,"height":265}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000120040","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000120040"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000120040\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000120109,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000120040\/revisions\/2000120109"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000120041"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000120040"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000120040"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000120040"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000120040"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000120040"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}