KARACHI, Nov 2: At least 50 per cent of the top position holders at the University of Karachi have to sit without gold medals every year as the university lacks the fund required in this regard.

A senior KU official said that the university at its own could not bear the financial implications and ultimately it looked up to philanthropists and other organisations for endowments. “We manage the gold medals from the income provided by endowment, he added.

At its 16th annual convocation being held on November 3 at the campus, the university would award another 58 gold medals to students, who secured first position or any other distinctions in examinations of various departments of the university during the year 2000. In addition to giving away gold medals to first position holders, the university also awards medals to students who secure certain percentage of marks or dominated in any branch of their main courses, added the official and mentioned that all the medals are sponsored by outside agencies and not the university.

It is learnt that sometimes students passing examinations with flying colours manage the sponsors for the medals. The sponsors are free to formulate criteria for award of medals to students from the income generated through their endowment, while the university syndicate gives a formal approval for the endowment.

However, teachers are of the view that sponsors should just offer the amount for endowment for gold medals and not suggest the names of recipients. “The university should be given the option to award the medals to first-position holders first and then to other deserving graduates, provided the endowments are available,” said a science teacher and observed further that under the present system some of the students were able to get more than one medal, while some students did not receive any medal at all, which caused annoyance among the others.

“Normally, students having secured first position or distinction at any level resort to find sponsors for the medals from within their well-off nears and dears. At present, the university receives an amount of Rs150000 from sponsors for each new gold medal,” said the KU official.

Some thirty years back the amount of endowment for the medals ranged from Rs3000 to Rs5000, recalled another official and continued further that if the university convocations had been held every year during the last 5o years of the university it would have been hard for the university to continue with certain medals due to nominal income from endowments.

It is understood that about 90 per cent of the Honours’ class graduates and 20 per cent of the Masters class graduates are not awarded with any medal for their excellent performance

The total number of gold medals instituted by the university is around 61, including 9 gold medals to be added at the 16th convocation of the university.

The medal is made of one tola of 18 karats gold and costs Rs7500-8500 in the finished form. The newly introduced gold medals are as follows: Amna Feroz Gold Medal for first position in Bachelor of Chemical Technology; Mahmood-ul-Haq Usmani Gold Medal for first position in MSc Biotechnology examination; Dr Syed Ahmed Faseeh Gold Medal for first position holder of BSc (Hons) Chemistry examination; Dr Syed Ahmed Faseeh Gold Medal for student having passed the MSc in Chemistry examinations in first class with highest marks in Analytical Chemistry; National Food Gold Medal for first position in MSC Food Science and Technology examinations; Shamim AHmed and Maqsood Ali Gold Medal for first position in MSc Mathematics (pure) examination; Prof S M S Zoha Gold Medal for securing best CGPR in Pharmacy, B Pharm Examination; Fauzia Rasheed Gold Medal for first position in B Pharm Examination; Amna Feroze Gold Medal for first position holder of B Pharm Examination.