Among the 193 graduates who successfully completed their academic programme, 65 received nursing diplomas, 43 graduates of the School of Nursing were awarded Bachelor of Science, four were awarded Masters in Epidemiology and Bio-statistics and 85 graduates got Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery.
The AKU’s coveted gold medal, which has been awarded only six times in the previous 13 convocations, went to Hammad-ul-Haq Qureshi. This medal recognizes an outstanding medical graduate who tops three of the four certifying examinations, including the finals.
Mahajabeen Rahmatali Ismaili was conferred the Outstanding Graduate Award for the R.N. Diploma programme, while Yasmin Pyarali Parpio and Roshan Jan Muhammad Manasia, received Outstanding Graduate Awards in Generic B.Sc.N. and Post R.N. B.Sc.N., respectively.
Addressing the convocation, the CJP, Justice Irshad Hassan Khan, said: “The education system of a country requires constant review and reformation in order to improve the quality of education and in particular, to gear the education system towards achieving more desirable goals and objectives in a given time. Education in the civilized world is at the apex of all plans and philosophies of survival.”
He said that Pakistan is still passing through an era of combating the menace of illiteracy. He lauded the contribution of the Aga Khan in serving humanity and hoped that he would continue to take steps necessary to augment the cause of education.
Congratulating the graduates, the CJP said, “They rightly deserve felicitation from us for successfully completing the rigorous curriculum of the AKU and for pushing themselves to the limit and stepping into the world today eager to use their training, talent and education.”
Acknowledging the role of the AKU alumni in uplifting the standard of education in the country, the CJP noted, “It is also heartening to learn that an increasing number of AKU alumni are returning to Pakistan to serve their nation. Their presence not only raises the standard and quality of education in Pakistan, but also goes a long way in developing human resources.”
He was pleased to note that the AKU “continues to focus on research which, indeed, is critical for the emancipation and uplift of the academic stature of any country.”
Dr Amir Ali Shoro, Professor of Anatomy, Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences and Director, Alumni Affairs, led the faculty procession.
Earlier, Dr Shamash Kassim-Lakha, President, spelt out details of the programmes offered by the AKU at home and outside.
He said that at this time of global unrest, when there is a great need for good leadership and understanding, the role and responsibility of higher education is at a specially critical stage. In the last two or three years, World Bank, Unesco and other international organizations have begun to reassess the value of higher education in developing countries, he said.
He also referred to the AKU role in educational developments in Northern Areas and Africa and plans to show flag in the UK.