ISLAMABAD: Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman on Friday emphasised on the importance of research for students.

“Being a graduate student, you should have a research-driven approach in all domains of life as this will eventually turn your story into a successful one. It will also guide you to lead the country to even more firm footings,” he said in his speech at the 20th convocation of Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU) held at the Jinnah Convention Centre to commemorate the outstanding academic accomplishments of the graduates of 2022.

Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairperson Dr Mukhtar Ahmad was the guest of honour. The 1,255 conferred degrees included 12 PhDs, 238 degrees to MS and MPhil students, and 136 masters and 869 bachelors’ degrees. As many as 47 gold and 30 silver medals were also awarded to students who got distinctions in their respective programmes.

Sponsored gold medals were awarded by the First Women Bank Limited, Media Development Trust Mishaal Pakistan and Qudratullah Shahab Organisation.

The governor instructed the HEC chairman to help the university release funds for its new Chakri campus as swiftly as possible. He congratulated the graduating students and their parents upon successful completion of their degrees and added that as the chancellor, it gave him great pleasure to celebrate this proud moment with graduates and their parents.

He also appreciated the graduating students’ years of toil and pursuit of intellectual excellence that had brought them to the gate-way of their future dreams. “You represent the future of Pakistan and I can clearly see that your future is very bright,” he said and advised students to embrace gratitude as a main character trait of their personality alongside empathy.

“There is no one more deserving than your parents and teachers who have led you towards a progressive lifestyle by making you a promising citizen of the country,” he said.

In her welcome address, FJWU Vice Chancellor Dr Saima Hamid congratulated graduating students and their parents, and wished them a peaceful and prosperous future.

She appreciated the students’ hard work, outstanding achievements and their parents’ commitment to excellence in education and expressed hope that students would make optimal use of productive, creative and inventive professional skill sets that the university had imparted them with.

“Studying at Fatima Jinnah Women University has encouraged them to uphold ethical and value-based standards and prove themselves as responsible citizens of Pakistan,” she said.

She said that as the founding member of All Pakistan Women Universities Consortium, FJWU, now has a network of 13 women-only universities across Pakistan.

She highlighted the fact that faculty members availed opportunities from the Association of Commonwealth Universities, which is the world’s oldest international network of universities with 500 member institutions in over 50 countries.

FJWU has also actively participated in the development of HEC’s Women Leadership programme, which focuses on the capacity building of emerging women leaders. Five of the senior faculty members have availed international women leadership trainings, she said.

Dr Saima Hamid also highlighted the structural and procedural reforms within the university and shared that since the university’s senior leadership is pivotal to the advancement of any institution, the number of faculty members in senior positions has gone up in the last three years.

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2023