LAHORE: The Punjab University (PU) Syndicate on Saturday passed Rs9.69bn budget for the financial year 2018-19.

The syndicate meeting was presided over by Vice Chancellor Prof Niaz Ahmed which sent the budget to the Senate for the approval.

The university expects a total grant of Rs2.63bn from the Higher Education Commission, 35pc of the total budget.

On the directions of the VC for increasing the PU’s international ranking and socioeconomic impact research, the PU Syndicate approved establishment of Technology Park on the New Campus. To encourage research activities, the university has allocated research grant worth Rs150m.

Free education, boarding for special students proposed

According to other salient features of the budget, special students will also be provided with free education and boarding facilities while students taking admission on sports basis will be provided with free education.

The university will continue to waive off tuition fee of Hafiz-i-Quran. It has allocated Rs70m for overseas scholarships and Rs64m for participation in national and international conferences.

Moreover, the HEC scholarships worth Rs97m and PEEF scholarships will also be provided to the students. Punjab University is providing Rs190m hostel subsidy, Rs55m transport subsidy and Rs7m internet subsidy to students.

LUMS convocation: As many as 1,101 students were awarded degrees at the 30th convocation of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) here on Saturday.

It was the largest batch of the university to graduate in the history of the varsity.

The ceremony was attended by students, their parents, and faculty.

As many as 849 undergraduate and 252 graduates were honoured with degrees from the schools at LUMS and high achievers received medals and awards. The year also marked the graduation of nine doctorate graduates, making it the highest number in the history of LUMS.

The gathering included students and faculty from all five schools - Suleman Dawood School of Business (SDSB), Mushtaq Ahmad Gurmani School of Humanities and Social Sciences (MGSHSS), Syed Babar Ali School of Science and Engineering (SBASSE), Shaikh Ahmad Hassan School of Law (SAHSOL) and LUMS School of Education (SOE).

LUMS Vice Chancellor Prof Dr S Sohail H Naqvi welcomed the parents, students, the management committee members and trustees.

Chief guest Dr Ishrat Husain congratulated the graduating class and said the youth had always been the instigator of social change. “It has been a wonderful experience to witness university’s growth in research, innovation, knowledge exchange with business and industry and service to the community,” he said.LUMS Rector Abdul Razzak Dawood thanked Prof. Dr. S. Sohail H. Naqvi for his endless efforts in making the university a world class institution. Mr Naqvi is stepping down from the position of vice chancellor on Aug 1.

A total of 158 high achievers and winners of the National Management Foundation (NMF), corporate medals and those placed on the Dean’s Honour Roll were recognised at the event.

Published in Dawn, July 1st, 2018