LAHORE: As many as 2,349 students were awarded degrees at the 16th convocation of the Government College University (GCU) on Wednesday.

Of them 85 have completed PhD, 707 MS/MPhil, 322 MA/MSc and 1,235 BA/BSc (Hons.)

A visually impaired student, Aziza Saeed, and Kausar Inayat who is suffering from brain tumour were among the students who were awarded PhD degrees.

Professor of Salam Chair at the GCU Dr G. Murtaza (who was the chief guest) and Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Hassan Amir Shah jointly awarded degrees to the students. The position holders were awarded medals and rolls of honour.

Prof Shah while addressing the convocation stressed the need for awarding full autonomy to the universities in the country and said the proverbial red tape impeded their smooth functioning at every stage. He said it had become increasingly difficult for the common man to afford quality education. The GCU, therefore, this year granted scholarships worth Rs62 million to the deserving students from its own budget and Endowment Fund, he said.

Congratulating the graduates, the VC advised them that in pursuit of glory they must retain the fundamental norms of creativity, farsightedness and persistence which have always been cherished at the GCU. “For this my students, you need to resist the onslaught of time which compels you to compromise your values and succumb to various social pressures,” he added.

Prof Shah advised the students that they must bridge the gap between their ideals and the harsh realities of life. Your success lies in the measure of patience and determination that you may muster up, he said.

Prof G. Murtaza asked the students to remember the contributions of their parents in their lives. He also shared the inspiring story of Nobel Laureate Prof Dr Abdus Salam with the graduates and told them how a Pakistani village boy became a towering personality in the world of physics.

Later, the visually impaired student, Dr Aziza Saeed, told media that she never allowed her physical inability to challenge her mental capabilities. She said studying Urdu literature was the most challenging task for the blind students as books in this discipline were not available in digital format for audio listening.

“A PhD demands massive reading of literature and I used to pay students and other people to record books for me,” said Dr Saeed who urged the government to set up a special digital library of Urdu literature in the country for the visually impaired students. She credited her parents and teachers for the PhD degree.

Dr Kausar Inayat said she had done the big part of her research work on hospital bed and did not let the disease overcome her dreams. She requested the government to support her treatment.

GCU Registrar Mr Saboor Ahmed said both ladies were inspiration for other students. “May our all students be able to materialise their dreams and make us proud just as we are proud of their predecessors,” he said.

Earlier, the VC at the first session also presented “Prof GD Sondhi Medal” for overall excellent performance to Maryam Ijaz, “Mohammad Idrees Medal” for Best Debater to Muhammad Abdullah, “Daud Ilyas Medal” for outstanding intermediate student to Muhammad Faizan, “Dr Saida Karamat Medal” for Best Woman Graduate to Hafiza Qurat-Ul-Ain Fatimah, “Waleed Iqbal Medal” for Best English Parliamentary Speaker to Mohiba Ahmad and “Thespian Medal” for excellent performance in Dramatics was conferred upon Mariam Hassan Naqvi.

Naqeeb Ahmed Khan, a driver in a government department, broke into tears while receiving the co-curricular medal and degree of his son who recently got commissioned in Pakistan Army.

Akhuwat Executive Director Dr Mohammed Amjad Saqib chaired the second session of the convocation.

The university will honour its position holders for BA/BSc (Honours) programmes on Thursday (today) at the third session.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2018