NAWABSHAH: Provincial Minister for Universities and Boards Ismail Rahu has said that the Sindh government has drafted specialised legislation to ensure a “meritocratic system” for the appointment of vice-chancellors, shifting away from the current practice of direct appointments by the chief minister.

He was talking to reporters after attending the 15th convocation of Quaid-i-Awam University of Engineering, Science and Technology (Quest) here on Saturday.

He highlighted the Sindh government’s commitment to merit-based reforms and financial support for higher education, and defended the inclusion of bureaucrats in university leadership.

He explained that appointing administrative professionals as vice-chancellors was aimed at streamlining and improving university management.

At the same time, the doors remained open for academic excellence, he said, noting that faculty heads, senior professors and PhD holders were equally eligible for these top positions based on merit.

He emphasised that the Sindh government was currently the largest financial contributor to universities, surpassing even the federal government and the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan in terms of grants.

He said that the provincial administration provided approximately Rs42–43 billion in grants to universities, a level of financial commitment he claimed is unmatched by any other province.

He also highlighted the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) efforts to eliminate political favouritism in the public sector.

He pointed to the establishment of the IBA testing mechanism for government recruitment as a prime example of providing equal opportunities to all citizens.

He said that this transparent process had already led to the large-scale induction of qualified teachers into educational institutions.

Earlier, addressing the convocation as chief guest, he emphasised that the Sindh government was modernising provincial universities to meet contemporary global standards.

He lauded Quest for its pivotal role in research and for producing a skilled workforce that contributes significantly to the engineering sector.

The minister urged the graduates to uphold the values of hard work, honesty and professional excellence, noting that educated youth were the backbone of national progress.

He assured graduating students that the provincial government was committed to creating more employment opportunities for degree-holders through these merit-based systems.

During the ceremony, the minister distributed degrees and gold medals to top-performing students across various disciplines.

Quest Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Saleem Raza Samo provided a detailed overview of the university’s performance and the convocation statistics.

He announced that a total of 591 students were awarded degrees, including 13 PhDs, nine master’s in engineering, 21 master’s in science, 354 bachelor’s in engineering and 194 bachelor’s in science.

The students’ academic excellence was further recognised with the distribution of 16 gold medals, 44 silver medals and numerous merit certificates.

The ceremony concluded with the university administration presenting commemorative shields to the guests of honour.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2025