President Muizzu shared his PhD experience and offered guidance to the graduates of MNU.
Obtaining higher education comes with many trials and tribulations, but the fruit of continuous hard work would be sweet, said President Dr Mohamed Muizzu at Maldives National University (MNU)'s graduation ceremony today.
In his speech, President Muizzu said that the students undertook a difficult task up until their graduation. So, no matter how big the challenge, the resolve should be to trust oneself and if continued with the right mindset, life too would be successful.
"Remember the hard work you put into get to this day. It is very important. Why is that? It is because if you are to move forward with all the hard work and golden accolades without remembering all you did [to reach that point], as I mentioned before, there will be challenges to identify what you can do for the country and do it in a sufficient manner. That resolve wouldn't be strong," President Muizzu said.
After graduating with so much hard work, students build their professional lives along with their own personal lives, said the President, highlighting the importance of asking what they can do for the country and attempt to do that.
"Because you are a Maldivian, you should aim to become someone who portrays everything that a Maldivian born to this country and breathes here should portray. Why is that? It is because we cannot close our eyes to the world today. We cannot close our eyes because of the things happening in this globalised world. We cannot go forward only thinking about our wives, children and families," he explained.
At the ceremony where 300 students graduated, President Muizzu shared his experience as a PhD student in civil engineering. He said that he had various experiences during the eight years he spent in the UK, from his Bachelors Degree until his PhD. He explained how it was a very difficult time, but that he was able to succeed due to his unwavering perseverance and the help of many.
"[It was a] very difficult time. However, the result was important to me. I went to achieve [that] result. With [God's] will, you also achieved that result," President Muizzu said.
After completing his PhD research in concrete technology, he moved his wife and two children back to the Maldives to dedicate the next four months solely to his studies. 20 out of 24 hours in a day were spend on his research during the final days, he recalled.
"[I] slept two to three hours. Accounting for the time spent to go and come back from university, more than four hours wouldn't go on anything else [but research]. I still remember what the external examiner said when I finished that work. [They] said they couldn't find a mistake even after repeatedly reading the theoretical analysis. [They asked] how I did it. I told I worked with the assistance, support and guidance of my supervisor," President Muizzu said.
"[I] had to stay day and night in the library. I spent many years making specific specimens, laying underneath them, making 1.2 metre x 1.2 metre 'L' shaped blocks, mixing and curing concrete a specific way, installing over a hundred temperature and movement measuring devices and points on my own with drill machines, and laying on the ground at specific times to take readings from those."
He said that with strong determination and courage, the results will be good. On the basis of the result, the person should try to move to the next level with more courage, he also said.
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