The Government College University on Friday held a ceremony to pay tribute to its founder principal and Hungarian national, Dr Gottlieb Wilhelm Leitner (1840-1899), in collaboration with the Hungarian Embassy.
A plaque of Professor G.W. Leitner as the founder principal of 151-year-old Government College, Lahore was also erected at the historical Bukhari Auditorium which was inaugurated by Punjab Minister for Law Mujtaba Shujaur Rahman, with Ambassador Istvan Szabo and Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Muhammad Khaleeq-ur-Rahman and Old Ravians students also being present.
In his speech, Ambassador Szabo announced scholarships for 80 Pakistani students including of GCU on behalf of his government, adding that an agreement would be soon signed. He also said a cultural exchange was the best way of bringing the two nations closer.
"Culture knows no boundaries. It doesn't require any visa. It directly reaches the heart of the people," he added. He also said it was a matter of great pride for them that Hungarian national Dr Leitner laid the foundation of modern education system in this part of the subcontinent.
Vice Chancellor Professor Rahman said Dr Leitner, the first principal of Government College Lahore, was one of the greatest linguists and educationalist to work for Lahore and the Punjab, and definitely an outstanding researcher of the Orient.
"Our government colleges and our central model schools all flowed from the foundations Dr Leitner laid" he added.
He said the main building Kala Shah Kaku would also be named after the first principal of the Government College.
Punjab Minister Main Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman said Pakistan wished to establish strong cultural, diplomatic and economic relations with Hungry. Last year the Old Ravians demanded that the Kachari Road be renamed 'Leitner Road'.
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