KARACHI, April 7: A total of 735 students of different batches were conferred bachelors and masters degrees in various disciplines at the seventh convocation of the Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET) on Wednesday.

Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad awarded 18 university gold medals and other sponsored medals to 15 students who secured distinctions in their respective bachelors exams. Among the 735 students, 720 graduates were awarded BS degrees and 15 were given MS degrees.

The convocation was attended by a large number of dignitaries from education, science, law and engineering circles and parents of the graduating students. However, the members of Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys' Association wearing their traditional black sherwanis dominated.

Governor Ishratul Ibad, who is also the patron of the university, said that the university in a short span of time had become a noted and prestigious institution in a self-reliant manner. He noted that the university management was successful in steering the SSUET to a level of excellence qualitatively and quantitatively.

While mentioning that the university had drawn credibility upon the heritage of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, Dr Ibad said that advancing the mission of Sir Syed towards strengthening and sustaining national unity in the country was the prime need of the day.

"For our country, and for that matter for any country, national identity and solidarity are always the most important elements for survival and progress," he said. Earlier, the SSUET chancellor, who also conferred the degrees on graduates, said that this convocation of the university had also marked the completion of the first decade of its existence.

Highlighting the varsity's progress and development, SSUET vice-chancellor Dr Saiyid Nazir Ahmad said that as against Rs17.2 million in the first full budget year 1994-1995, the total expenditures of the university's current budget year was estimated at Rs237.7 million.

According to him, the current enrolment in regular courses, including the MS course, was slightly over 4,200 while the total number of technical and engineering graduates has reached 2,400 over the decade. The teaching faculty numbered around 160, he added.

The vice-chancellor said that the MS programme had been primarily designed to provide the country in general and the university in particular the much-needed teachers of higher qualifications from within.

The launching of PhD programme, which has been approved in principle, initially comprise Computer Engineering, he said adding that the ultimate goal of the university was to make itself a fountainhead of research in the disciplines that it covered.

Amidst clapping degrees were conferred to a total number of 720 students of different batches in the BS programme and 15 students in MS programme. Among all, 675 graduates belonged to 2000 batch and 62 students to 1998 and 1999 batches.

In all, 385 students of Computer Engineering, 199 of Electronic Engineering, 46 of Biomedical Engineering, 37 of Civil Engineering and 53 students of Computer Science were awarded bachelors degrees. Besides, 15 students were awarded degrees in MS programme.

Those who secured first, second and third positions in BS Engineering exams and received gold medals are:

Computer Engineering: First-Humaira Meraj (Dr A.Q. Khan Gold Medal and Hasan Nasir Gold Medal), second-Muhammad Asif Nasim and third-Shaukat Ali (both were awarded university gold medals).