KARACHI: The Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi, held its Convocation 2020 at the main campus on Saturday where 849 graduates were conferred degrees.

The batch included 585 undergraduate students from six programmes, 263 postgraduate students from eight programmes, and one PhD scholar.

The convocation was postponed last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Congratulating graduating students, IBA Executive Ddirector Dr S Akbar Zaidi appreciated their resilience towards completing their studies amid the global pandemic.

“I hope that you have learnt what it requires to be an IBA graduate and now is the time for you to take that world-class education and skillset forward into the world and further establish the IBA brand name,” he said.

Speaking about institute’s recent expansion and progress, Dr Zaidi said the IBA had made huge transformations in the last two years with the establishment of three fully fledged, autonomous schools with independent deans.

“It was a matter of great pride that the IBA being a public sector institution has successfully been keeping its educational standards on par with those of private institutions over the years,” he said.

On IBA’s transformation from a business school to a multi-disciplinary institution, Dr Zaidi said student enrolment at the institute had increased from 400 to 5,000 students in two decades.

“And now the institute teaches diverse subjects including history, sociology, anthropology and mathematics among others. The journey of excellence at the IBA is continuous and together the students, faculty and alumni will take IBA to greater heights.”

Veteran actor Zia Mohyeddin captivated the audience with his riveting recitals. He reminisced about his youthful days at a government college and shed light on the famous short story of Maibal Aur Main by Ahmed Shah Patras Bokhari to resonate with the student life.

Minister for Universities and Boards Muhammad Ismail Rahoo, representing the chief minister and IBA patron Murad Ali Shah at the event, commended the institute for achieving academic excellence.

“The skillset which the graduates have acquired at the institute will help them navigate the intricacies of life. The IBA has proven to be a hub of nurturing talents, benefiting not only Pakistan but the world at large,” he said.

He also lauded IBA’s vision of ensuring inclusivity and diversity, through its financial assistance programme through which the institute supports approximately 30 per cent of its students every year.

The ceremony featured the position holders in various degree programmes, who were awarded cash prizes, medals, shields and certificates of merit.

Mahoor Shahzad, Olympian and IBA alumna, the first Pakistani badminton player in Tokyo Olympics Games 2020, was awarded with ‘Excellence in Sports’ award.

Performance awards were given to staff and faculty members. Dr Farah Naz Baig, assistant professor and chairperson of the marketing department, received the Best Teacher Award and Dr Wali ullah was declared the Best Researcher.

Published in Dawn, October 31st, 2021