KARACHI: “As you celebrate your success, remember the majority of our people live in rural areas. You may not like my words but I want to ask the academia to look into the possibility of having a mechanism under which students, either during their studies or after completing their professional education and training, undergo two to three years of compulsory service in the rural parts of the country.”

This was suggested by Chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani while addressing the 13th convocation of Ziauddin University held on Wednesday at the Expo Centre.

Speaking to the students, he said: “Yes, you are the privileged ones; you got all the opportunities to come up to this level. I congratulate you from the depths of my heart on this success. But, my dear friends remember two things; the status you have achieved today wouldn’t have been possible without the support of your parents. Second, always consider those who are less fortunate,” Mr Rabbani advised the students, telling them that it is time to pay back the institution and the country.

He also underlined the importance of academic freedom in institutions of higher learning and said: “Only a knowledge-based society can progress. We can’t prepare the youth for future challenges without having academic freedom on campuses. I assure you that the parliament will support you if you require any legislation in this regard.”

Earlier, in his speech, he regretted the absence of the university chancellor Dr Asim Hussain at the programme and hoped that he would be present at the next convocation.

The keynote speech was delivered by Prof Syed Azhar Ahmed, a retired lieutenant-general who also served as principal of Army Medical College as well as the vice chancellor of Baqai University during his active years of service spanning five decades.

He appreciated the students for their hard work and urged them to follow in the footsteps of Dr Ziauddin Ahmed, a devoted educationist and great humanist in the subcontinent.

“Progress and development can only be achieved if we excel in education. It’s an important day in your life. Maintain high standards and make good use of the opportunity God has given you to serve humanity,” he remarked.

Vice chancellor Prof Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui highlighted how the university has progressed over the years and said that today the institution was prominently placed among renowned institutions of higher education in the private sector in Pakistan.

Congratulating students, he said: “There are over 20 million children in the country who are out of school right now. In fact, they have never seen a school. You are the fortunate ones who got a chance to acquire professional education. Being privileged means that you have a greater responsibility to fulfill, which I am sure, you will.”

The message of the university chancellor Dr Asim Hussain was read out by Dr Nida Hussain, associate dean, faculty affairs, in which he apologised for his absence at the convocation, thanked his family for staying with him in “turbulent times” and congratulated the students on their success.

“The basic principle of any constitution in any country is equitable justice, freedom of thought and speech as permissible by law, respect of honour and dignity of man. If these basic principles and rights are trampled [on] then we see [the] emergence of a civil society with no moral values as we see emerging today,” Dr Nida said, quoting her father.

Later, over 300 graduating students received their degrees in the disciplines of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, bio-medical engineering, speech, language and hearing sciences and physical therapy.

The Sir Ziauddin Ahmed Academic Excellence gold medals were awarded to Dr Mahnoor Imran (medicine), Dr Suleman (dental surgery), Ayesha Akhtar (bio-medical engineering), Rida Moin (medical technology), Hafsa Munir (speech language therapy), Noureen Shoukat (generic), Zulekha Saleem (physical therapy), and Meena Mairaj (Pharm.D).

“It’s sheer consistency and hard work that brought me to this position. But, it’s not only my area of specialisation in which I excelled; I was always at the front in extra-curricular activities as well,” said Rida Moin, a gold medal recipient in allied health sciences with a major in clinical pathology.

Currently teaching at the university as a lecturer, Khan plans to also do an M.Phil in her area of study.

Visibly happy over acquiring an M.Phil degree in pathology after five years of struggle, Dr Syed Sohail Abbas said: “A part of a long journey is finally over. I am thankful to my parents and dedicated teachers for their support throughout this period. I plan to do a doctorate as research in pathology is direly needed in our country.”

The valedictory speech was given by Dr Rabeeya Tufail.

Published in Dawn, April 28th, 2016