PESHAWAR, May 10: NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah said on Saturday that quality education for women was needed to foster peace, tolerance and rationality in the society.

Speaking as the chief guest at the 13th convocation of the College of Home Economics, University of Peshawar, he said women should come out of their homes and get education to find decent jobs and know about life.

He appreciated the role of educational institutions like the college. He highlighted the significance of research and said improvement in the qualifications of the educators ensured an academic and intellectual environment vital for modern educational needs. He appreciated the holding of workshops, seminars and refresher courses for the teachers to help them keep track of new ideas.

He stressed the need for regular evaluation and updating of the courses.

Curricular and extracurricular activities must go together, he said and added that it was through the spirit of sportsmanship that one could learn the importance of collective efforts and teamwork.

He appreciated the efforts of the college administration for providing scholarships and financial aid to deserving students.

Principal of the college, Dr Seemin Masood said the graduates, especially in arts and design, clothing and textiles, food and nutrition, home development studies and management studies, were significantly contributing in the development of the country since 1954.

The governor gave away degrees and gold medals to the graduates of 1996 to 2001. Ambreen Umer, Musarat Anwar, Umera Saleem, Umera Zahid, Sobia Chishti, Falahat Waqar, Zainab Fatima, Noria Gul, Naved Ali and Gul Rukh Saleem received gold medals for their distinctions in MSc and BSc examinations.