Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Nauman Bashir has called on the youth to vigorously pursue knowledge-based education to invoke their hidden potential to put Pakistan on the path to progress and prosperity.
"Pakistan is rich in resources and there is no dearth of talent and motivation among youth and the only thing, which is needed, is strong commitment to invest more in education sector," Admiral Nauman said while addressing the 6th Convocation of Bahria University here on Tuesday.
This is the age of specialisation and only education can pave way for progress and prosperity, Naval Chief said, adding that there is need to equip the youth with education according to present day requirements. Admiral Nauman congratulated young graduates on successful completion of their academic curricula and termed their success as 'a victory in a battle'. He said the degrees they received today are the reward of their determination and hard work.
He urged all the graduates to step forward and excel in the field where no one has excelled. Earlier in his welcome address, Rector of Bahria University, Vice Admiral Mohammad Haroon (Retd) congratulated the graduates for achieving brilliant success in their academic career.
Briefing the chief guest about the progress and performance of the Varsity, the Rector said that Bahria University has equipped all its campuses with modern technology and latest facilities following international standards. The Varsity has linkages with Leicester, Bedfordshire UK, Dalhousie Halifax in Canada, while MoU with Australian University is under study, he added.
The university, he said has allowed admissions to the students of war ravaged areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) to help alleviate their sufferings. The university is constructing a gymnasium in Islamabad campus to provide indoor sports facilities to the students, he added.
The institution also awards merit scholarships and provide financial assistance to the students who excel academically, but have financial difficulties, he said, adding that during the fiscal Year 2009-10, an amount of Rs 13.6 million was spent on providing these scholarships. To facilitate PhD and MS programmes, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has also provided foreign scholarships worth Rs 94 million to 20 of its faculty members. The university has produced 56 research papers in the last one year.
The Rector Bahria University mentioned two other projects of 'Establishment of Institute of Earth and Environmental Sciences' and 'Strengthening of Karachi Campus' which are in the pipeline. The successful graduates of different disciplines including BBA, BSE, BCE, MBA, M.Sc Geology and Geophysics during 2004 to 2008 were awarded degrees and merit certificates, he said.