8 October 2009

Eritrean graduation for Dundee students

Forty graduates of the University of Dundee’s distance learning courses will be conferred with their degrees in Eritrea on Saturday October 10th.

Professor Margaret Smith, Dean of the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the University, will confer degrees on twenty-two Bachelor of Nursing graduands and eighteen BA Professional Development graduands at a ceremony in Asmara, hosted by the Ministry of Health for the State of Eritrea.

The University has been working with students in Eritrea since 2003. The country is still recovering from the effects of a long and bloody war with neighbouring Ethiopia.

'This ceremony will take the number of Dundee graduates in Eritrea to 100, a tremendous achievement and one with potential for advancing even greater change in the country,' said Professor Smith.

'Achieving change is dependent on individuals who are inspirational and innovative and who see new solutions for age-old problems. With these programmes we are operating in Eritrea, and the success the students have made of them, we are helping to provide those kind of leaders.'

One of the nursing graduates is Amanuel Gheratu, who will be joined at the ceremony by his brother, the Ambassador to Britain and Ireland, His Excellency Tesfamicael Gerahtu, who has been a recent visitor to the University of Dundee.

The courses in Eritrea have been provided by the Distance Learning Centre in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, and the School of Education, Social Work and Community Education.

The next cohorts of students on the degree programmes are already well established in their studies.

Professor Smith also carried to Eritrea a letter of congratulations from Dundee’s Principal, Professor Peter Downes, for the Minister of Health in Eritrea to mark the forthcoming graduation of the first cohort of medical students from Orrotta Medical School in Asmara.

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