Prime Minister applauds DWU

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has applauded Divine Word University (DWU) for the annual Missioning Ceremony it hosted for outgoing final year students. Speaking as guest of honour at the ceremony at the Madang campus last Friday 12 October, 2012, Mr O’Neill said the “missioning” of students to go out to the professional world is similar to the initiation ceremony in Melanesian societies where young people were initiated into adulthood.

The Prime Minister said: “I am delighted to see that DWU has incorporated Melanesian values to its academic functions. In our culture, before young people enter into adulthood, first they have to go through an initiation process and once they successfully fulfill the requirements of the community, then the community declares them as responsible members. It is encouraging to see that today’s celebration echoes this Melanesian culture in the form of the Missioning Ceremony as it declares that these young men and women possess the necessary competencies which will make them responsible citizens of our nation. It is not a graduation which focuses on the academic achievement of the students. Rather, it is an equally important celebration as it declares these young people have developed a sound philosophy of life, quality of leadership and are willing to serve our country. I congratulate the University for incorporating Melanesian values into its academic and non-academic activities,” the prime minister said.

The Missioning Ceremony, themed “Be a Light of Positive Vision to the World”, began with the Eucharistic celebration led by Father Dr Garrett Roche SVD who is the chairman of the DWU Council. This was followed by speeches and the presentation of the DWU Missioning crosses to each of the 302(172 females, 130 males) final year students taking part. In addition, the Prime Minister also opened the Memorial Park on campus dedicated to those who died in the tragic Airlines PNG plane crash on 13 October, 2011. (dwu.ac.pg)