GCU convocation: ‘Use education for national development’

Governor addresses GCU convocation

LAHORE:

Women must use education for national development and the welfare of the people, Punjab Governor Rafique Rajwana said on Friday.

He was speaking at the first session of the 14th convocation of Government College University (GCU). Addressing the graduating students, Rajwana said, “I believe that Pakistan is re-emerging as a peaceful state under the leadership of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif courtesy of the successful conduct of the Zarb-i-Azb and Karachi Operation for which the nation’s armed forces and law enforcement agencies have rendered commendable sacrifices.” He said it was a matter of great pride for him to attend the GCU convocation as the varsity’s chancellor because his son, a barrister, had also read there. He tasked the vice chancellor and his team to take all possible measures to restore the institution, which had cultivated giants like Allama Iqbal and Abdus Salam, to its original glory.

Talking to reporters, women PhD awardees welcomed the passage of the violence against women bill by the Provincial Assembly (PA) as a good initiative. Ultimately, however, they said it was education that truly empowered women.

In his speech, GCU Vice Chancellor (VC) Hassan Amir Shah said that the country did not need an education system that was just capable of producing well-trained professionals who could be absorbed in the national economy. Rather, he said, the education system ought to be geared towards grooming leaders inculcated with the spirit of inquiry, integrity, equity and humanity. He said the challenges being faced by GCU included paucity of senior academics.

When he joined a few months ago, Shah said, he had found no dean. He said seven of eight research chairs were vacant, the Abdus Salam School of Mathematical Science had been virtually closed and there were ad-hoc appointments on all statutory posts. In 2014, the VC said, GCU’s ranking had plummeted and it had not been placed among the top 10 varsities of the nation. “Over the last few years, students’ strength has almost doubled. It stood at around 6,000 in 2011. It has increased to 12,000 by 2015,”he said.

Shah said it would have been a source of satisfaction if the number of students had increased hand in hand with a rise in the provision of quality education. “Infrastructural provisions (were not made) and qualified academics were not recruited during this period,” the VC said. He said an academic audit of all programmes had been initiated to plug gaps. Shah said an effective monitoring system was also being instituted.

Later, the governor and the VC presented the Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif Gold Medal for Best Urdu Declamation Speaker to Khaqan Arshad, the Professor GD Sondhi Medal for overall excellent performance to Syed Zohaib Zafar Ali Shah,  the Mohammad Idrees Medal for Best Debater to Adnan Farooq,  the Daud Ilyas Medal for Outstanding Intermediate Student to Muhammad Kafeel Ashraf, the Dr Sadia Karamat Medal for Best Woman Graduate to Aneeqa Tahir, the Waleed Iqbal Medal for Best English Parliamentary Speaker to Awais Ahmad Malik and the Thespian Medal for Excellent Performance in Dramatics to Yusra Anwar.

In the first of the three scheduled sessions of the convocation, a total of 664 MPhil and MS and 48 PhD degrees were awarded to students in addition to the medals. The varsity will honour BA/BSc (Hons) position holders on Saturday (today) at the second session of the convocation. A total of 1,970 degrees will be conferred at the three sessions of convocation.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 27^th,  2016.