KARACHI: “Be conscious of the power that education and professional training have given to you. Use it to offer the best to humanity,” said Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah while addressing graduates at the 29th convocation of Aga Khan University (AKU) held on Saturday.

This year 383 AKU students have received their degrees in the different fields, including nursing, midwifery, medicine and education.

Congratulating the students and their proud parents, Mr Shah, who was the chief guest at the convocation, spoke about the need to have a broad-based, multidisciplinary education in tackling the numerous challenges the country faced. “We need natural scientists and social scientists, writers and artists, entrepreneurs and public policy experts who can work across boundaries and lead progress in a wide range of fields,” he said.

Mr Shah praised the AKU’s plans to invest in the new Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) in Karachi and said the social contribution of liberal arts education was enormous. “The faculty will fill a deep gap within Pakistan for universities which create leaders who possess an inquiring mind, creativity, diverse knowledge and have the ability to address the most complex challenges the country faces. This is the mission of FAS and the government of Sindh encourages the AKU to make this a reality.”

In his welcome address, AKU President Firoz Rasul talked about how people could make life meaningful by seeking a higher purpose, challenging their abilities and realising their potential to the fullest that ‘leaves a mark on others’ lives’.

One of the major challenges the country faced was the Sustainable Development Goals which Pakistan along with 192 other countries had committed to meet by 2030, he said. “If Pakistan achieves these goals, it will be a country transformed – a place where no child suffers from hunger, every boy and girl is taught by well-qualified teachers, and all people have access to high quality healthcare.

“At the AKU, as an educator of leaders and a source of research that generates solutions to critical challenges and a provider of life-saving healthcare, we are working to make that vision a reality,” Mr Rasul said.

He advised the graduating students beaming with pride and hope that they must use their knowledge and skills they had learnt at the AKU to make an extraordinary difference. He said they needed to “work on behalf of a great cause, as to seek to do what has never been done is an experience as thrilling and inspiring as any you will ever know.”

“There is no greater reward than the knowledge that your efforts have deeply and positively impacted the lives of a great many people. The chance to experience that knowledge for yourself is an opportunity indeed — one I urge you not to miss,” he added.

Celebrating its 35th anniversary this year, the AKU School of Nursing and Midwifery has so far produced almost 4,000 diploma and degree graduates. The medical college awarded one doctoral degree in health sciences, 34 master’s degrees, 95 undergraduate degrees and 19 advanced diplomas (16 in human development and three in health education) as well as 10 diplomas in dental hygiene. In education, one PhD and 37 degrees of master’s in education were conferred upon students. Besides, 10 degrees of MA in Muslim cultures were awarded to graduates of AKU’s Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations.

In his valedictory speech, Sheraz Hussain, an MBBS graduate, said: “AKU’s students’ body is like a multicultural family. Everyone knows everyone else. We find strength in our diversity. There is one thing I would urge all my fellow graduates to do. Once you’re ‘established’, do come back to serve the people who need you. I will end with three golden words, which have been my guiding principle since high school: Perseverance commands success!”

Aziza Jaffer Ali received the 2016 Best Graduate Award from the School of Nursing and Midwifery. She was also presented with the Nursing Practice Award, which is given to the student whose clinical and community practice reflects distinctive critical thinking, problem solving abilities, client-centred approach and ethical decision making.

The Medical College’s 2016 Best Graduate Award was presented to Dr Saneeha Shahid. She secured the highest aggregate score in certifying examinations through the five-year MBBS programme.

Published in Dawn, November 20th, 2016