PESHAWAR, Dec 16: NWFP Governor Ali Mohammad Jan Aurakzai has said that it is essential to have a sound educational structure at all levels to keep pace with the technological advancement.

Addressing the third Convocation of the Sarhad University on Saturday, he said that the government had given education priority as it was the most important determinant of progress and development for a nation.

He said that a visible improvement had already been made in the higher education sector and efforts were under way to attain higher goals.

The governor said that President Gen Pervez Musharraf paid special attention to the Higher Education Commission and provided huge funds to promote university-level education.

He said that as the requirement for educational institutions was more so the private sector was encouraged to share the burden with the government.

He said that at present a number of private universities were imparting quality education to students in modern disciplines.

Mr Aurakzai said that private universities should focus on imparting quality education besides providing necessary infrastructure like buildings and faculty.

“You will soon find out that most of people around you are illiterate and living below the poverty line and if they look up to you for assistance, you must generously extend a helping hand to them,” he advised the students.

Vice-Chancellor Prof Saleemur Rehman said that their varsity was strictly following the scheme of studies of the Higher Education Commission.

At the Masters level Tahir Subhan, Asad Ahmad, Khurram Shahzad, Rahmatullah, Sarfraz Khan, Syeda Majida, Saima Durrani, Imran Yousaf, Sajida Parveen, Syed Sibt-i-Hussain, Mehwash Javed, Uzma Ejaz, Mohammad Ayaz, Sanaullah Khan, Qamarzaman and Azizullah, while at the bachelor level Hina Bari, Mohammad Suhail Khan, Shamaila Mohammad Ali, Sikandar Khan, Mohammad Fawad, Nadia Parveen, Mohammad Asad, Samreen Ghauri, Qaisar Abbas Rizvi, Mohammad Ashfaque, Jaudiana Khokhar and Sadaf Ashghar bagged gold medals for their best performance.