Determined to succeed: Hamdard University graduates confident they can beat the competition

The varsity also paid tribute to its founder, Hakim Mohammad Said.

KARACHI:

Mazharullah Khan perhaps had twice as many reasons to be jubilant as any other parent attending Hamdard University’s 17th convocation ceremony at Madinat alHikmah on Saturday. For his son and daughter were among the 1,330 students who received their degrees on the occasion.

A serious learning environment and the access to good quality education are the ingredients that can bring about a rapid change in the country, said the university’s graduates, as they celebrated the moment with their families and friends.

The university distributed a total of 1,330 degrees and 37 gold medals during the ceremony.

The varsity’s staff members, as well as Higher Education Commission (HEC) chairperson Dr Javed Leghari, who was the chief guest on the occasion, also paid tribute to the university’s charismatic founder, Hakim Mohammad Said.

Hamdard University vice chancellor, Dr Hakim Abdul Hannan, observed that Hakim Said “did not believe in the commercialisation of education, and had therefore established Hamdard University to promote higher education”.

Renowned nuclear scientist Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, who is a member of the university’s board of governors, joined the varsity’s faculty members and parents on the occasion.

The varsity’s chancellor, Sadia Rashid, congratulated the graduates and their parents, and said that they were fortunate to have a degree from a reputed university in a country where millions could not even read or write.

Male students outnumbered their female counterparts in the run for gold medals, as they took 20 of 30 gold medals that were awarded to outstanding performers in the final semester. However, female candidates received four out of seven Shaheed Hakim Mohammad Said gold medals. These medals were awarded to the best graduate from each faculty, who had secured positions throughout their stay at the university.

Mazharullah, whose son and daughter graduated together on the occasion, claimed that he was more proud of his daughter than his son. The siblings had been class fellows at the Plastic Technology Centre at the university. “My daughter defeated all her male class fellows by securing the gold medal. This was the day I had been waiting for years,” he told The Express Tribune, while overcome with emotions.

Summya Khan, Mazharullah’s daughter, said that if a student had worked hard throughout his or her academic career, then they had no reason to fear the competition they would face outside the walls of their educational institution.

A graduate of the university’s pharmacy department, Mehrunnisa was surprised to find that she was awarded two gold medals: one for being a top student throughout her studies at Hamdard, and the other for topping in her faculty. “No words can express my feelings right now,” said Mehrunnisa, who hails from a rural area in Mirpurkhas. “All of this is due to my father, who gave me his unconditional support. I am the first girl from my family who has received gold medals.”

Saim Ahmed was ecstatic as well, as he found that he had secured a position for the first time, even though he had a tough schedule. He studied in the morning and worked in the evening. “These are not the ideal times for job seekers, as our economy is going downhill. [In order to find a job now], one not only needs to work hard, but also needs to be extra talented.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24^th, 2013.