1,592 Hamdard University students awarded degrees

KARACHI, The Hamdard University (HU), at its 10th Convocation, conferred degrees and gold medals to its passing out students of various graduate and post-graduate programmes.

At an impressive convocation-2006 ceremony held at the main campus of HU on Saturday evening, a total of 452 students, including four PhDs and 43 gold medalists, were awarded degrees in various disciplines by Acting Sindh Governor Syed Muzaffar Hussain Shah. Around 1,140 graduates were awarded degrees in absentia.

Muzaffar Hussain Shah said speedy development strides are made in a society where intellectual and professional attainments are highly prized.

He said Hamdard University believes in having an ideal atmosphere and facilities for learning and the government would also like to lend a helping hand to it in its noble pursuit of imparting education.

“The parallel development of the public and private sectors of education is our firm commitment,” he pointed out and added that this will be done in a more pronounced and meaningful manner to allay any thought of discrimination. “

The Acting Sindh Governor said he believed that Shaheed Hakim Mohammad Said, Founder of Hamdard University, was truly a great patriot. “I am happy that the university is pursuing the mission of the Shaheed and making continuous efforts to follow the goals and objectives of Hakim Said,” he added.

He said he believed in a shift in the present day system of education toward quality, rather than quantity, adding, a modern university has to keep pace with the parameters of education set by internationally changing requirements of human resource.

“I would advise all educationists of public and private seats of learning to be endowed with a spirit of working for their compatriots.”

The chief guest also congratulated the passing out graduates, Chancellor, Vice Chancellor and faculty members of HU and advised them to work with similar zeal and dedication to serve the country.

Chancellor, Hamdard University, Senator S.M. Zafar pointed out that annual allocation for education has now increased to over Rs 20 billion from 0.2 per cent of GDP in 1999 to 0.8 in 2006 and is likely to reach the desirable figure of one per cent of GDP in the forthcoming financial year.

The number of our graduating PhDs in a year has also risen to 600 to 700 and by 2010-11 we hope to have 1500 PhDs every year, he added.

He further said the number of public and private universities has also gone up to about 100 in the country and more additions are being made every year.

The ceremony was also attended by Shaheed Hakim Mohammad Said's daughter Sadia Rashid.Faculty members, including, professors and lecturers, students besides parents and people from various walks of life attended the convocation.

The faculties in which Hamdard University gold medals were given included, Humanities and Social Sciences (six medals), Health and Medical Sciences (two), Eastern Studies (one), Engineering Sciences and Technology (11), Legal Studies (two) and Management Sciences (14).

COMPLEX: The Hamdard Foundation is constructing a complex at a cost of Rs 130 million which will house the Faculty of Eastern Medicine, Faculty of Pharmacy and Hakim Mohammad Ilyas Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

“About 85 per cent work of the first phase has been completed,” said Vice Chancellor of Hamdard University, Prof Dr M. Iqbal Qureshi, while speaking at the university convocation.

Dr Iqbal said the Hamdard Foundation had committed to provide full funding for the project.

He informed that in the current year a modern hostel for girls has been established at a cost of Rs19 million.

Besides, he said, 20 laboratories ac