15th convocation: Shehbaz promises Rs100m for GCU

1,686 students to receive medals, rolls of honour, degrees over three sessions

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced Rs100 million for the Government College University, Lahore (GCU), promising the funds will be deposited with the university’s Endowment Fund Trust by the week’s end.

He was addressing the university’s 15th convocation on Thursday, where along with many graduates a widow along with her minor son received the doctorate of philosophy (PhD) degree of her husband.  Rao Altaf Husain, an associate professor at the Government Science College Wahdat Road, had completed his PhD in Zoology a week before his murder on November 15, 2016 in Lahore.

Around 1,686 students received medals, rolls of honour and degrees in the three sessions of the convocation. In the first session, 216 of 386 MPhil/MS and 32 out of the 55 PhD degrees were conferred upon female students.

In his keynote address, Shehbaz said the federal and provincial higher education commissions would work jointly and pool their resources for the promotion of higher education in the province.

He added the Punjab government would also provide financial support to the GCU for development of its Kala Shah Kaku Campus, and he would personally look into the matter that why PC-I of the project was not yet approved.

The chief minister said that the Punjab Educational Endowment Fund (PEEF) would swell to Rs20 billion this year and would be awarding scholarships to 2,000 bright students of the country. “It’s the biggest endowment fund in the sub-continents,” he claimed.

Shehbaz, who is also an Old Ravian, felt nostalgic at his alma mater and said: “l count my student days at this great seat of learning to be the most amazing period of my life. Allow me to say that the Government College played a leading role in shaping my personality and instilling in me the value of hard work and constant struggle.”

GCU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Hassan Amir Shah called upon the graduates to retain the core values of tolerance, justice, ingenuity, prudence and diligence that they acquired during their studies at the GCU and resist the onslaught of time which compels them to compromise their values and succumb to various social pressures.

“You must bridge the gap between your ideals and the cruel realities of life. Your success lies in your endurance and perseverance,” he added.

He told the chief minister the process of recruitment of staff against vacant positions at all academic departments was expedited during the last one year. A total of 109 new appointments have been made which includes 11 professors, 24 associate professors, 34 assistant professors and 40 lecturers.

“For the first time in its history, GCU now has all the four offices of deans of faculties occupied by competent professors,” he boasted.

The vice chancellor said the university deans had been delegated specific powers with well-defined targets and time frames as part of the decentralisation of authority and maintenance of transparency, efficiency and accountability in all the academic and administrative affairs.

The University would honour its position holders for the BA/BSc (Honours) programmes on Friday (today) at the second session of the conference.

The total 1,686 degrees, to be awarded at the three sessions of convocation, also included 895 degrees of BA/BSc (Hons) and 319 of MA/MSc, and 36 co-curricular and six sports rolls of honours.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 20^th, 2017.