Graduation ceremony: Groomed to take on challenges of tomorrow

Another batch of young women graduates from the PAF Finishing School.

ISLAMABAD:

Amal Shehzad is the epitome of women who undertook a recent crash course on personal development at the Pakistan Air Force Finishing School. She is among the 34th batch of students who received certificates at a graduation ceremony organised at the officers’ mess on Wednesday.

Aspiring to major in accounting and finance, Shehzad is confident of benefiting from the rigorous skills training she received at the finishing school for over four months.”Besides excelling at the various courses taught here, I gained hands-on skills which will help me in practical life,” she said while talking to The Express Tribune. She had particularly enjoyed participating in the survival course and aerobics classes.



At the ceremony, the school’s director Nasreen Aurangzeb, highlighted the main aspects of the training that are aimed at transforming young women into useful citizens. Though the concept of finishing schools has been borrowed from the West, she said, the curriculum of the programme is designed while bearing in mind the cultural and religious values and norms of Pakistani society. She expressed satisfaction that the graduating women will prove role models in both personal and professional lives.

The First Lady of Pakistan and chief guest on the occasion, Kalsoom Nawaz, congratulated the students on their success. She also commended the school for its efforts in grooming the girls on moral, social and professional spheres. Encouraging them to utilise the ethics and values imparted therein, she said students are the country’s assets and hold the power to shape the destiny of future generations.



Earlier, the students performed poetry in English and Urdu. A multimedia presentation showcased the students’ participation in workshops and activities. With a well-rounded approach towards grooming, the programme emphasises leadership skills, teamwork activities and excursion trips with a view to expand the knowledge and exposure of students. Set up in 1996, the school is said to be one of its kind in Asia.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2013.