KARACHI, Dec 16: As many as 396 graduates were conferred masters’ and honours’ degrees of business administration and computer science at the ninth convocation of the Institute of Business Management (IoBM) on Saturday.
Sindh Education Minister Dr Hamida Khuhro was the chief guest on the occasion, while Prof Goolam Mohammedbhai, president of International Association of Universities, delivered the keynote address, which was, among others attended by dignitaries belonging to various walks of life and noted professionals and parents of the graduates.
The institute conferred an MPhil degree on Azam Ali, while an honorary PhD on Prof Mohammed of Mauritius in recognition of his outstanding services in the filed of education and human development areas. The outstanding academic achievements of Mr Mohammed included PhD from the University of Manchester and a post-doctoral research at the University of California at Berkley, USA, while at the international level, he has been associated with Unesco for over a decade in advisory capacity on multifarious educational issues, specially relating to Africa, it was said in the citation read out before the conferment of degree.
In his special address, Prof Mohammedbhai, a recipient of the insignia of Grand Officer of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean from his country president, stressed the need for further internationalisation of higher education. Over the past couple of decades, internationalisation of higher education has assumed a much greater importance for several reasons, including employment of graduates in other countries, he added, saying that today higher education institutions were required to ensure that their degrees and diplomas were also recognised internationally.
Emphasising on increase in funding and enrolment in higher education institutions, the educationist said that for real economic and social uplift, a country must try and achieve a tertiary education enrolment rate of the order of 50 per cent.
Dr Hamida Khuhro in her address observed that countries like Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore, which gained independence at almost the same time as Pakistan, had made rapid strides in the field of education, while record of Pakistan was not so much impressive.
“In order to make up for lost time, we have to move fast and advance deliberately and with a sense of purpose”, she remarked.
The president of IoBM, Shahjehan S. Karim said that various specialisation programmes in marketing, finance, human resource and information system, banking, media management, advertising and communication and health and hospital management were being offered at the institute.
To lend international flavour and achieve an interesting cross fertilisation of ideas we have recruited faculty from abroad, notably from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, Mr Karim added, saying that International Finance Corporation of the World Bank has consented to provide financing of about US$5.8 million towards an infrastructure along with technical support in faculty and curriculum development.
IoBM Chancellor Ashraf Tabani and Talib Karim and a graduating student Midhat Abbasi also spoke on the occasion. Besides handing over degrees to successful graduates, the education minister also awarded medals and merit certificates.
The breakdown of graduating students is as follows: BBA- 125, MBA-265 and BCS-6. Gold medals were awarded to Hira Sajid, Henna Arfeen, Syeda Wajiha Fatima Rizvi, Zehra Suleman Noorani, Fatima Siddiqui, Midhat Abbasi, Muneebul Haq Ansari and Samitah Maqbool of MBA programmes and Nadia Asghar of BBA (Honours).
Merit certificates went to Tanveer Mahmood Godil, Zubin Mino Sethna, Janelle Charlene Dias, Afshan Amir Ali, Maria Mushtaq Ali, Sehr Bujror Irani, Ayesha Siddiqi, Mufaddal Ismail Lanewala, Zahra Alam, Tania Rashid and Fozia Shamrez of MBA programmes and Mehwish Awais of BBA (Hons) programme.
KARACHI, Dec 16: As many as 396 graduates were conferred masters’ and honours’ degrees of business administration and computer science at the ninth convocation of the Institute of Business Management (IoBM) on Saturday.
