Koim: Be productive

During the University of Technology's [UoT] 57th graduation ceremony held in Lae yesterday, Chancellor Sam Koim described graduates as the living product of many productive investments.

He told graduates that reaching such milestone in education was not by chance nor accident, it comes with greater responsibility and he urged them to be productive.

"So, as your Chancellor, if I could leave you with one word to guide your journey beyond these gates, it would be- Productivity.

"You are the product of all who contributed to the making of you and now go and be productive with the power of knowledge you have acquired,"Koim said.

Koim said in the early days of Singapore’s development, its founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew who rallied all his citizens and their aspirations around one word 'Productivity'.

"That one word transformed a small, resource-limited island into a global economic powerhouse.

"Today, in Papua New Guinea, the Government is spending over K7 billion on public servants salary alone in the 2025 budget. The challenge before us is this; Are we getting K7 billion worth of productivity in return from the public servants? It’s anybody’s guess.

"Imagine where Papua New Guinea will be and the kind of service our people would be receiving today if all the public servants had been productive at their workplace.

"So I encourage you graduates to go out and be productive to make a difference. No matter where you find yourself public or private sector, employed or still finding your path, choose to be productive,"Koim said.

"If you don’t find your dream job, you can still be at home and be productive. Use your phone to utilize some of these digital tools to be productive.

"You may stumble. You may fail. But rise again. Continue to aspire. Continue to perspire. And above all be productive," he added.