LAHORE: The Government College University (GCU) Lahore on Monday conferred PhD degrees in various disciplines, alongside awarding medals to MS/MPhil position holders, on the first day of the varsity’s 23rd convocation.

A total of 3,165 degrees will be awarded this year during the two-day convocation, including 86 PhD degrees, 966 MS/MPhil degrees, and 2,113 BA/BSc (Hons) degrees.

Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof Dr Muhammad Ali Shah chaired the first session and awarded medals and degrees to students, along with Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Prof Dr Babar Aziz, Controller of Examinations Shahzad Ahmed, and Additional Registrar Dr Shaukat Ali.

Prof Dr Sultan Shah, Prof Dr Shahida Batool, Dr Ahmad Raza, and Dr Muhammad Afzal were awarded the ‘Best University Teacher’ honour and cash prizes for their exceptional contributions.

89 PhD, 966 MS/MPhil degrees to be awarded

In his address, the VC highlighted the need to strengthen social sciences and humanities, alongside science and technology. He emphasised that universities should play their role in nation building by fostering independent thinking, intellectual pursuits, and a pluralistic approach.

He noted that the GCU faculty published 1,380 research articles in impact factor journals last year and supervised 3,165 research dissertations. Additionally, 12 funded research projects worth Rs59.279 million were secured during 2023-2024.

Prof Dr Muhammad Ali Shah highlighted that the GCU Endowment Fund, valued at Rs774.93 million, supports thousands of students through various scholarships and financial aid programmes. He also remarked that the GCU has a strong student leadership system in place, with 92 societies and clubs.

He lauded the achievements of the GCU Debating Society, which secured 363 national and international awards, including 86 team trophies and 120 best speaker titles.

The VC urged graduates to uphold GCU’s traditions of creativity, resilience and excellence, resist mediocrity, and contribute to transforming society while preserving their ideals.

Two additional sessions of the convocation will be held today (Tuesday) to award degrees, as well as 125 co-curricular and 12 Sports Rolls of Honour.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2025