Majority of female students among 238 gold medalists

Ceremony marks graduation of over 1,800 students from KU

KARACHI: Standing in black gowns with their heads held high, around 1,866 students of University of Karachi (KU) received their entry passes into the real world on Saturday evening.

The students lined up at university's Valika Cricket Stadium to receive their degrees, surrounded by friends, family and faculty members, during the 26th convocation of the varsity.

As many as 238 gold medals were awarded during the ceremony. Eighty per cent of the medals were received by female students, announced KU registrar Prof Dr Moazzam Ali Khan.





"Students graduating today are the leaders of tomorrow, and they have a great responsibility on their shoulders to work for the prosperity of their nation," said education minister and KU pro-chancellor Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, the chief guest at the event.

Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad Khan, who is also the chancellor of the university, did not attend the convocation once again, making this the eighth consecutive convocation he has missed.

Speaking about the university, KU vice-chancellor Dr Muhammad Qaiser said the varsity is a model educational institution for all academics and educational institutions of the country.

About 486 research papers by KU faculty members have been published in renowned journals of the world, he informed.

"I was also a student of KU and what I have achieved today is because of this university," said Khuhro. KU is a magnificent success story since the last 65 years, he added.

The minister also called for abolishing quotas in the admission policy of the varsity. Sindh government is spending billions of rupees in the education sector to improve it, he said.

He also announced an additional salary of one month to all the grade one to 16 non-teaching employees of KU.

During the convocation, 163 students of BA (Honors) received their degrees, eight of BE, 11 of BLIS, 133 of BS, two of BPA, 20 of BBA (Honors), 179 of BSC (Honors), 312 of MA, 42 of MBA, 35 of MCom, 22 of MCS, five of MLIS, eight of MPA, 289 of MSc, 84 of PharmD and 145 of PhD, among others.

A special gold medal was awarded to Quratulain Hyder of the mathematics department, who scored the highest marks in the university. The medal is named after the martyrs of Army Public School, Peshawar, titled 'Shuhada-e-Peshawar medal'.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 18^th,  2016.