A graceful, befitting and academically gratifying ceremony of Academic Convocation 2015 was held at Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Convention Centre, Allama I I Kazi Campus, Jamshoro the other day to confer gold and silver medals and degrees upon successful candidates of PhD, MPhil, MS, Master and Bachelor degree programs. As many as 53 scholars were conferred with PhD degrees, whereas, 66 were awarded MPhil, MS degrees in addition to 631 Master and Bachelor degree awards.
Besides, 18 candidates were honored with Chancellor's Gold Medal on account of clinching top ranks within their respective faculties and 82 were decorated with Vice-Chancellor's Silver Medals for standing first in their respective departments or institutes. Moreover, renowned writer Amar Jalil; former Chairman, Sindh Graduates Association (SGA) and secretary SZABIST Board of Governance, Dr Muhammad Suleman Shaikh; famous medical crusaders, Dr Muhammad Saleh Memon and Dr Rahim Bux Bhatti were decorated with special Gold Medals in recognition of their meritorious services for people of Sindh and Pakistan; whereas, 2 gold medals each under the category of Allama Ghulam Mustafa Qasmi and Dr N A Baloch Gold Medals were also given to the students whose performance remained best through out their studies at the university.
Apart from this, special Gold Medals were also awarded to Professor Dr Sarfaraz Hussain Solangi, Professor Dr Akhtar Hussain Moghal, Abdul Majeed Panhwar and Javed Akhtar Larik.
Special shields were also given to Dr Saima Qayoom Memon, Saeed Ahmed Mangi, Naimatullah Khilji, Zulfiqar Ali Qureshi, Nadir Ali Jamali and others on account of their meritorious services. Speaking on the occasion, Chief Guest Syed Murad Ali Shah said that he was delighted to be there that evening among the distinguished academics to distribute well-earned and well-deserved degrees among the University Scholars. The underlying desire in accepting the invitation was to avail the opportunity of visit to the oldest University of the country, which with its refreshing surroundings and serene beauty provides a pleasant departure from the mundane, day to day exigencies of my responsibilities.
Congratulating all the recipients of degrees and medals and their proud parents, he said that Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto had a vision and a commitment to transform Pakistan into a modern nation state; a dream and desire which she believed could not materialize without quality higher education and youth empowerment. This was one reason why she wanted each district in Sindh to have an independent University. This mission of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was carried forward by Honorable Asif Ali Zardari, Co-Chairman, Pakistan Peoples' Party, as he issued Sindh University directives to establish its campuses at rural districts of Sindh. I may partake that our worthy Chairman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and his learned sisters Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari and Aseefa Bhutto Zardari also cherish the dream of giving people of Sindh best higher education institutions. Bakhtawar Cadet College for Girls at Shaheed Benazirabad established in 2016 is a step toward realizing the dream.
Eulogizing the efforts made by SU Vice-Chancellor Dr Burfat, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah added that an educated populace was vital in the present world, with the convergent impacts of globalization, the increasing importance of knowledge as a main driver of growth and the information and communication revolution had gained greater significance. Besides, knowledge transfer, generation, application and integration had also become major factors in economic development and remained increasingly at the core of any country's competitive advantage in the global economy.
"I give you the good news, shortly the construction of overhead bridge at Jamshoro Phattak (railway crossing) would be completed, thereby facilitating faculty, students and staff at all the three major universities there," the CM said.
CM Shah further said that he had noted with keen interest some problems faced by Sindh University and highlighted by VC-SU Dr Burfat. "I leave this hall with the assurance that as provincial chief executive, I will contemplate these problems with a seriousness they deserve and will take them with the concerned departments with a view to resolving them as early as possible," he stressed.
Felicitating the degree and medal recipients one more time, the Chief Minister said that God never wastes anybody's rightful efforts. "I urge upon you to go forth and serve humanity with the best of your ability, intention and effort and you will soon get to know how high Allah Almighty elevates your stature," he said addressing the graduates.
VC-SU Professor Dr Fateh Muhammad Burfat in his presidential remarks congratulated the graduates on their success and thanked Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah for gracing the occasion with his presence. He also expressed his deep gratitude to the Chief Minister for earlier grants of Rs 946 million to strengthen SU Laar Campus Badin and SU Campus Mirpurkhas. "I am very grateful to you Sir, for having given us another special grant of Rs 236 million for our regular recurring budget to ease financial crunch and for enhancing PhD allowance for teachers to Rs 25000 per month, which reflects your commitment towards uplift of teachers and education in the province," he said while addressing Syed Murad Ali Shah.
Dr Burfat also made special mention of HEC grant of Rs 1600 million to University of Sindh.
Dr Burfat expressed pleasure over the fact that 317 SU teachers out of the total of 650 had done PhD from most advanced countries of the world, in that SU produces 16 HEC recognized research journals, had so far awarded PhD degrees to more than 1600 scholars, and had a current enrolment of 3600 MPhil and PhD students.
Dr Burfat also made special mention of ultramodern sports facilities being provided to SU students and spoke of SU students' top positions in sports at national and international level. He also brought to the notice of the audience rapid shift of SU to technological innovations and research on coastal problems.
"I am happy to inform that we are also developing University's gender policy, youth policy, recruitment policy, health policy, research policy and a number of such other policies to develop sound and permanent framework to facilitate SU employees and students," he said.
He said they were actively working on and about to finalize quality policy of the University to win ISO certification. He congratulated Secretary Convocation Professor Dr Sarfaraz Hussain Solangi, all conveners and members of organization committee, faculty, officers and employees for their efforts to make the event a success.
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