KARACHI: A number of Karachi University (KU) students who secured top positions in their respective specialised disciplines and were supposed to receive gold medals soon after the convocation in April this year, are still waiting for their medals, it emerged on Sunday.

Speaking to Dawn, several students complained that they had been asking the administration about their medals for the past five months but had received no positive response.

“We have been repeatedly told that the ceremony would be held once funds from the vice chancellor’s office (to organise the event) are released. But, we don’t want a ceremony. We just want our medals which the university had promised to give us,” a science student said, alleging that the administration had sold out their medals.

They criticised the university’s decision of not presenting the gold medals to students of specialised disciplines at the convocation and said at least the vice chancellor should now take out time to award them medals.

“It’s such a memorable moment in a student’s life; to be at the convocation and receive a gold medal. We were deprived of that opportunity on the excuse that dignitaries don’t have time to award medals to each student,” another student revealed.

KU registrar Dr Moazzam Ali Khan, upon contact, said that he had written letters four to five months ago, asking the respective deans to hold programmes at the faculty level for medal distribution.

“It’s the responsibility of respective deans now to award medals,” he said, adding that there was no need for funds to organise a simple ceremony.

Students who received medals in specialised disciplines were not awarded medals at the convocation only because of time constraints, he said in response to a question.

Deans of faculties of science and pharmacy were not available for comment. Dean of management and administrative sciences Prof Khalid Iraqi said that gold medals at the faculty-level had been awarded to students.

“The programme was held three months ago in which we invited students, their parents as well as the vice chancellor as the chief guest. Six students were conferred gold medals in the ceremony,” he observed.

Dean of faculty of social science Prof Moonis Ahmer said that only those students who were absent at the convocation couldn’t get medals in their department. “Four out of eight absentee students, who were called, responded and have been handed over their medals.”

Published in Dawn, October 17th, 2016