HYDERABAD, Dec 11: The Quaid-i-Azam Gold Medal will be awarded to encourage meritorious students securing highest marks under annual and semester examinations at the bachelor’s degree level in the professional and at the masters degree level in the general public universities.

The proposal was floated during a meeting of the four-member vice chancellors’ committee, constituted by the committee of the vice chancellor during a recent meeting, which was presided over by the governor, Sindh.

The recent meeting of the committee was presided over by the vice chancellor, University of Sindh, Mazharul Haq Siddiqui, and was attended by the vice chancellor, NED University, Karachi, Abul Kalam, the vice chancellor, University of Karachi, Dr Saeed Zafar Saifi, the vice chancellor, Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur, Dr A. R. Malik, and the registrar, University of Sindh, Dr Saeed Ahmed Soomro.

The meeting also discussed the working paper, prepared by the University of Sindh, which was earlier placed before the meeting of committee of the vice chancellors on July 16.

The meeting further proposed that the Quaid-i-Azam Gold Medal will be awarded to one student of each university achieving top most position in all faculties combined with a component of an amount of Rs500,000 as a cash award.

The meeting also discussed the criteria for the award of the medal.

It also took note of the poor quality of education of external students appearing in the bachelors and masters degree programmes of the universities.

The meeting also suggested different parameters for improving the quality of education.

The meeting proposed that each university should take steps for the preparation of syllabi and make it available to the students appearing as external candidates.

The minutes of the meeting will be placed in the next meeting of the committee of the vice chancellors for final approval.

WORKSHOP: The Institute of Women Development Studies (IWDS), University of Sindh, is holding a two-day workshop on ‘Gender and Governance’ at a local hotel from Dec 26.

The workshop would be held in collaboration with the federal ministry of women development social welfare and special education.

According to details, issued by the director of the IWDS, Prof Parveen Shah, the federal secretary, ministry of women development, social welfare and special education, Parveen Qadir Agha, will be the chief guest, while the vice chancellor of the University of Sindh, Mazharul Haq Siddiqui, will preside over the inaugural session.

About 70 participants, including women councillors and faculty members of various universities, are expected to participate in the workshop.