Convocation ceremony: Arid students set out for professional life

Conferred degrees, medals and awards for hard-earned success.

RAWALPINDI:

Syeda Myra Batool has high hopes of the future. Armed with a gold medal for her outstanding performance in Bachelor’s of Information Technology, she is ready to on the next challenge.

“This would not have been possible without the constant support and prayers of my family. I’m confident of finding a lucrative job anywhere,” she said, while talking to The Express Tribune at the 14th convocation of Pir Mehr Shah Arid Agriculture University on Thursday.

“Hard work and prayers are never wasted. I am proud to have earned this reward,” Rabeea Tariq, another student said. She bagged a gold medal in her Master’s of Horticulture.

A total of 1,580 graduating students were awarded degrees at the univeristy on Thursday. Meanwhile, some 28 students got gold medals, seven got silver medals and four got bronze medals. Higher Education Commission Executive (HEC) Director Dr Mukhtar Ahmed was the chief guest while the South Korean Ambassador Choong Joo Choi was the guest of honour on the occasion.

While congratulating the students on their success, Dr Ahmed said, “You are the future visionaries of Pakistan who can shape up the country through education and technology.” He encouraged the students to brainstorm solutions for the problems that the country is faced with.

Meanwhile, the South Korean envoy lent support for the country’s progress. He cited the establishment of a capacity building centre at the university as a link to the chain of uplifting the Pakistani farming community and to provide them an opportunity to use advanced technologies in agriculture and livestock production. He assured that the Korean embassy would work on enhancing the development of Pakistan and the friendship relations between the two nations in the spirit of cooperation and goodwill.

Dr Rai Niaz Ahmad, the university’s vice chancellor, said that the university stood seventh in HEC ranking out of 116 universities and second among agriculture universities in the country. He said the university is going to establish a new faculty of agriculture engineering.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 29^th, 2013.