Female candidates stole the show by securing five of the six top positions in the BA/BSc annual exams, the results of which were announced on Saturday by the Punjab University.
Dr Mujahid Kamran, the Punjab University vice chancellor, distributed shields and cash prizes among the position holders, who were also awarded cash prizes.
According to the university, 143,750 students sat for the exams of which 57,284 were successful. The pass percentage of 39.85 this year is up nearly six per cent from the pass percentage in 2011 (34.09).
The top three positions in the BSc exams were bagged by Sania Riaz, of the Punjab College of Science with 686 marks; Sundus Shahzadi, of the Queen Mary College with 658 marks; and Suneela Wajid, of the Punjab College for Women, Gujranwala, with 655 marks.
The four people who led the batch of BA students had all appeared as private candidates. Muhammad Muhsen Ali from Hafizabad secured the first position with 688 marks, Kanwal Latif from Lahore was second with 668 marks while Muqaddas Shehbaz from Hafizabad and Maria Anam from Gujranwala, secured the third position with 661 marks.
Wajid, who majored in mathematics and physics, told The Express Tribune that she had been confident she would secure a position. She hopes to pursue her master’s in mathematics from Gujrat University.
Ali, who secured the first position in BA, is the eldest among 11 siblings and is the son of a labourer. He works at a tandoor. Unable to pay college fees, he enrolled as a private candidate. Ali hopes to continue his studies and pursue a master’s degree in English. Talking to The Tribune he regretted that the government had failed to provide poor students with financial assistance.
According to a Punjab government press release, that was issued Saturday evening, the chief minister has decided to pay for Ali’s education from his personal funds.
Latif too said that the government should ensure that education becomes accessible to all, especially those under financial constraints.
Addressing the students, Dr Kamran criticised the government for not investing in education and research. This, he said, had caused “social and economic decline”. Demanding a minimum allocation of 4 per cent of the GDP for education, Dr Kamran said the government should ensure education was accessible to the common man. He lamented that the federal government had engaged in ‘cheap politics’ with the Higher Education Commission and cut its funds. This, he believed, was done because the commission had followed court orders and checked parliamentarians’ degress.
Students can register for supplementary examination until August 27. The exams are expected to be held in October.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 12th, 2012.
COMMENTS (9)
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What use are womens education when we cant have them be productive in this society, instead they will end up watching indian dramas and raise children.. and by the current crop I would say they are doing a horrible job.
Hey, that is a boy whose mother is kissing him. I got the impression we were celebrating girls here!
Hats off to Muhsin for this spectacular achievement. And kudos to the photographer for capturing that great image. Men are simple creatures and that photo epitomises what almost all of us want most fervently in life. May Muhsin keep making his mother proud of him. Congratulations yaar.
PU bachelors’ results: Girls outshine boys, bag five of six top positions and are hastily married off.
Mr.Mosin Ali is the pride of the nation..... I want to Salute him ... Infact the whole nation is sluting him .......He has increased my hope and nation hope that come what may, one can not snatch the diginity of Hard working People.....Where ever you may be if you work hard you will get the reward of it. 4 sure...
My prayers are with Mr Mohsin and his family.
Great work Mr Ali, you got talent will strongly recommend to pursue career in professional areas e.g. Law, accountancy or Banking , IT.
Your knowledge and skill will drive you further. This is great and public should recognise doing work should be part of curriculum of 16-21 age regardless of social status. This work could be limited to age 13-15 4hourd 18-21 7ours like it happens I'm Europe to eliminate lower and middle and upper class difference.
"Dr Kamran criticised the government for not investing in education and research. This, he said, had caused “social and economic decline”. Demanding a minimum allocation of 4 per cent of the GDP for education"
It is easier said than done. Spending 4% of GDP without proper planing, ensuring availability of qualified faculty, provision of academic facilities, and subsequently ensuring availability of jobs for the increased number of graduates would be a total waste of resources and create social chaos. So many areas needs to be addressed before thinking of spending 4% from the already overstressed meager resources. However, steps should be taken seriously to achieve that objective but it all depends on the economic performance of the country and hence demand for the educated youth. You just cannot keep producing vast swaths of unemployed educated people without consumption.
men work at Tandoors or fruit shops to get their degrees while women sit at home and memorize like parrot and get degrees.thats why women are getting more education.Society must recognise how much pressure male family member has to look after his family and than many just cant study.
Congrats to everyone who acheived with distinction, merit and those who passed. Special praise to Muhammad Mohsen Ali who even in such difficult circumstances came through with shining results, it shows that our nation still has the strength to fight on.