More than 1,000 students conferred degrees at SSUET convocation

Eight students receive gold medals for securing first position

Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET) organised its 21st convocation with traditional zeal on Sunday. It was attended by a large number of educationists, scholars, dignitaries, faculty and students.

More than 1,000 degrees were distributed amongst the passing out students of the BS and MS programmes. Two of the faculty members were awarded PhD degrees, while an honorary doctorate was conferred upon renowned philanthropist Sardar Muhammad Yasin Malik. Position holders were awarded gold, silver and bronze medals for securing the highest marks in their respective disciplines.

Addressing the convocation, the chief guest, Lieutenant General (retd) Moinuddin Haider, said the world is changing rapidly and in the near future, robots may replace the services provided by humans. In many countries, he said, surgeries were even being performed by robots.

"You need to update your knowledge and skills according to contemporary demands," he said, advising that a boarding university be established on the 200 acres' land of SSUET in education city.
Lt Gen (retd) Haider said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor will bring economic prosperity in the region.

SSUET Chancellor Jawaid Anwar said education gives us the sense to acknowledge that the existence of our country depends on national solidarity and unity. No economic prosperity is possible without national harmony, he said.

He said that the focus of the varsity since its inception has been on the dissemination of knowledge and imparting skills and expertise through high-quality education in the domains of science, engineering and technology.



SSUET believes that technology plays a vital role in the development and progress of our country as all modern development taking place these days is the direct outcome of technical advancement, he said, adding that the university believed that the economic future of Pakistan is in the hands of engineers and technology experts.

Anwar said the concept of social reforms by Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was based upon acquisition of modern scientific education. The key ingredients of this concept were proper upbringing, character-building, tolerance and coexistence, he said.

Aligarh Muslim University proved to be the laboratory where these concepts were experimented, he added.

The chancellor said that a digital library will be established which will be connected to the online library of the Higher Education Commission and students will have access to unlimited books, research journals and periodicals. He added that the construction of a modern auditorium was under consideration.



In his address, SSUET Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Afzal Haq said that the convocation was the most significant occasion in the university's academic calendar and it represented the culmination of years of diligence and hard work.

SSUET is an ideological, vibrant and progressive institution that has always remained responsive to advancement in science, engineering, technology and management sciences, he said, adding that the varsity worked hard to promote scientific and engineering education as it always endeavoured to offer high-quality education and state-of-the-art facilities for learning and research so that students gain knowledge and skills and become professionals in today's competitive world.

Earlier, in his welcome address, SSUET Registrar Syed Sarfraz Ali congratulated the graduating students and their parents and wished them a prosperous future. He said that higher education has now become a tool of economic growth.

Lt Gen (retd) Haider and Malik, along with members of the SSUET board of governors and others were awarded shields in recognition of their valuable services and contribution towards education, science and social work.



"You [the students] are the ambassadors of your alma mater, city and province," Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys' Association General Secretary Muhammad Arshad Khan said while addressing the graduates.

Students were honoured with gold, silver and bronze medals for their outstanding achievements in their academic career. Nawazish Rabbani Bhojani of computer engineering, Muhammad Adeel Sarwar of electronic engineering, Muhammad Abdullah of telecommunication engineering, Haniya Manzoor of biomedical engineering, Muhammad Washakh of civil engineering, Syed Shahbaz Ali Jafri of computer science, Afsheen Aslam of software engineering and Tayyaba Qamarul Islam of bioinformatics received gold medals for securing first position.

The recipients of silver medals included Asma Ashfaq of computer engineering, Razia Asif of electronic engineering, Rafia Mudasir of telecommunication engineering, Fariha Fatima of biomedical engineering, Muhammad Ahmed Hafiz of civil engineering, Ayesha Shazad of computer science, Muhammad Noman Qureshi of software engineering and Nosheen Hayat of bioinformatics.

Meanwhile, Maria Nadeem of computer engineering, Junaid Aman of electronic engineering, Maser Rohan Ahmed of telecommunication engineering, Sundas Saleem of biomedical engineering, Muhammad Hamza of civil engineering, Aisha Imam of computer science, Hiba Wasim of software engineering and Muhammad Hamza Naseem of bioinformatics were awarded bronze medals for securing third position.