IIUI rector emphasises promotion of entrepreneurship among youth

6,726 degrees conferred on female students during 11th convocation

ISLAMABAD: As many as 6,726 degrees and 108 gold medals were conferred on female students on the second day of the 11th convocation of International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI) in a ceremony arranged for female students on Thursday.

After conferring doctorate in philosophy (PhD) degrees and gold medals on IIUI students, IIUI Rector Dr Masoom Yasinzai called for major changes in the way research is conducted, designing content of curricula and teaching methodologies in the country.

He said that societal relevance is the major objective of research being conducted at IIUI. This is due to the fact that educational institutions can come up with the best solutions for the kind of challenges we face today.

“We need to produce more graduates for the job market with an emphasis on entrepreneurship education for youth,” the IIUI rector said.

He added that over the past decade, the university has witnessed rapid growth coupled with shrinking physical capacity. In this regard, he acknowledged the support of the varsity’s foreign faculty including 30 teachers from Egypt’s famed Al-Azhar University along with scholars from Saudi Arabia and Sudan.

“[They] are significantly augmenting the number and quality of teachers in our Islamic Faculties,” Dr Yasinzai said.

He added that more than 31,000 students from 45 nationalities are enrolled in nine faculties and 42 teaching departments and a Centre of excellence in Technology, interdisciplinary research and advanced labs.

IIUI President Dr Ahmed Yousif Al-Draiweesh said that IIUI has managed to win the confidence of parents. He added that the reason for its rapid growth was the enrolment of female students at their separate, exclusive campus for women, which meets standards of Islamic norms, traditions and culture.

In its 39-year-long history, this was just the 11th convocation of IIUI. As many as 13,111 degrees were conferred on male and female students. As many as 51,113 students have completed their degrees from IIUI thus far.

During its latest convocation, varsity conferred 206 PhD degrees on students, taking the total number of PhD students of the university to 419.

A total of 319 students were also awarded gold medals in the two-day-long event.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 15^th, 2019.