Over 350 caps go flying in the air as Ziauddin University bids farewell to its 11th batch

KARACHI:

Around 350 caps went flying into the air as the Ziauddin University awarded degrees to its graduates at its 11th convocation on Saturday.

Wearing black convocation robes with red frills on them, the graduating students walked in the academic procession as the Eastern classical raga blared through the speakers, amid enthusiastic cheers by their parents and other family members. High hopes were attached with the graduates as most of them will serve as doctors and pharmacists to improve the dwindling healthcare facilities in the country. As Dr Asim Hussain, the chancellor of the university declared the convocation open, the formal proceedings of the convocation began with vice-chancellor Prof Dr Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui's welcome address.

Presenting few facts as indicators of the university's advancement over the years, Dr Siddiqui said that the university prides itself for having a medical college that is being included among the top-five medical institutions of the country. "After completing 17 years in medical education, the Ziauddin Medical University was given the charter as Ziauddin University nine years back," he said proudly. "In a short span, it has received recognition by the HEC in its top ranking."

Dr Siddiqui showed great confidence in the graduates and gave equal credit to their families and faculty members. "It is the families who have sacrificed for your success, who have provided you support in all your endeavours and aspirations and they too share in your success and glory and must be congratulated."

The graduates should be proud of their association with one of the greatest minds of the 20th century, Dr Sir Ziauddin Ahmed, and should do their best to promote the values he stood for in his lifetime, stressed Dr Siddiqui.

"Today, you have acquired a precious gift from this institution but the convocation only marks the beginning of your learning," he said. "The challenge begins now as you enter professional life. Your education has prepared you well to embrace the challenges of the future and it is now up to you to utilise the skills you have acquired to make this world a better, more humane and more tolerant place."

In the ceremony that hosted more than 15,000 guests, seven students were also awarded Sir Ziauddin Ahmed Academic Excellence gold medals for outstanding performance. The medal recipients included, Wafa Hasan in medicine, Anum Shaikh in Pharm D, Saeedullah Shah in dentistry, Kanwal Fatima in nursing, Nazia Ejaz in biomedical engineering, Sumeet Kumar in physical therapy and Rohma Nadeem Akhtar in speech language therapy.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 20^th, 2014.