ISLAMABAD, May 10: Role of electronic media has increased manifold in the education sector and the launch of four new TV channels for educational purposes this year will help in increasing the literacy rate in the country.

This was stated by the chairman of Higher Education Commission (HEC), Dr Attaur Rehman, who was the chief guest at the 32nd convocation and prize distribution ceremony of Federal Government College for Women, F-7/2, here on Saturday.

The HEC chairman said with the setting up of Virtual University and the plan to launch the new TV channels, the students throughout the country would have an easy access to quality education.

“Distances have lost their meanings as far as learning process is concerned and soon students in the countryside will be able to take their lectures through the TV channels,” he added.

Dr Ata was of the view that there couldn’t be greater joy than the joy of learning and urged the graduating students to keep on exploring new avenues of learning at every stage of their life.

The 32nd convocation of the college was organized to award degrees to the students of 1999-2001 session of BA/BSc, BSc (Home Economics), MA English, MA Arabic, MA Economics, MA Islamic Studies and MSc Applied Psychology.

As many as 190 students were awarded BA degrees, 130 received BSc, 125 got MA, and 54 students were awarded BSc (Home Economics) degrees.

In the end, the principal of the institution, Tazeen Muzaffar, presented the college report. She said the college was the oldest institution for women in the federal capital and with the passage of time it had evolved into a pedagogic complex.

The college is imparting education to more than 4,000 students in a variety of disciplines at the graduate and postgraduate levels, she added.

The principal said Tabinda Mujahid of humanities group, securing 888 marks, got first position amongst both boys and girls in the federal board examinations. In the general group, Sadia Anwar secured overall first position by securing 912 marks, she added.

In BSc, Amna Jamshaid and Kinza Azmat both stood third, securing 611 marks each.

In the Punjab University BSc (Home Economics) examination, Sara Zafar secured second position, while Ayesha Shujat got the third position.

At the postgraduate level, Mumtaz Talat Sayed stood first in the MA English examination of the year 2001, while in MA Arabic, Asia Ghulam secured the third position.

APP ADDS: Azra Raza Academic Award, carrying Rs100,000 prize money, has been instituted for two degree colleges for women in the federal capital.