PU convocation Governor urges universities to create new knowledge

LAHORE:

Punjab Governor/Chancellor Muhammad Rafique Rajwana has said that universities should focus on the creation of new knowledge. 

Addressing the 124th convocation of Punjab University at varsity’s Faisal Auditorium here on Saturday, he said education must be knowledge-based and education without knowledge was meaningless. "There are many universities unlike the past, however, the need was to improve the standard of university education," he said, adding students were the ray of hope for a bright future of Pakistan and they should provide the benefit of their degrees to Pakistan.

Some 128 PhD, 579 MPhil/MS, 256 Master’s, 182 undergraduate degrees and 160 medals were awarded to the graduating students in the convocation. Some 73 medals were distributed among undergraduate students while 87 medals were distributed among Master’s students. A total of 1305 degrees, medals and prizes were distributed in the convocation. Acclaimed lawyer and former Senator SM Zafar and renowned intellectual of Punjabi literature Faqeer Ahmad Fqeer were awarded honorary PhD degrees in law and Punjabi respectively.  Renowned religious leader Maulana Raghib Hussain Naeemi also obtained his PhD degree in Islamic Studies on his thesis titled “Asri Muashi Masail Ijtihad-Manhaj Wa Asrat” in the convocation. 

Architect of Pakistan's nuclear programme Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, Chairman HEC Punjab Dr Nizamuddin, PU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran, Controller of Examinations Prof Dr Shahid Munir, VCs of various varsities, intellectuals, deans of all faculties, heads of various departments, senior faculty members and graduating students and their parents were present on the occasion. 

The governor said if the innocent children of Army Public School (APS) and martyrs of Operation Zarb-e-Azb could secure the country, then the graduating students could also play their role in putting the country on the road to progress. 

Appreciating a blind student of PU Law College, Yousaf Saleem, who obtained Gold Medal in LLB Honors program, the governor said we must learn the art of living from these people. He said now Pakistan was making progress in the field of education and efforts were being made for promotion of education at federal and provincial level.  He said the Punjab government had also set up Punjab Higher Education Commission (PHEC) in this regard. He said it was a matter of honor for him to visit Punjab University and he was thankful to PU VC Dr Mujahid Kamran. He advised the students to help the common man and poor segments of  society. 

Addressing the ceremony Prof Dr Mujahid Kamran said genocide of Muslims was going on and they were facing destruction only because they were not contributing to creation of new knowledge. He said America’s GDP was around 17 trillion and it spent 2 to 3 percent i.e. 340 to 510 billion dollars on research and development a year while Pakistan had a GDP of around 225 billion dollars only and was spending only 0.2 percent on research and development per year. 

In his address, S. M. Zafar thanked Mohsin-e-Pakistani Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, PU VC Dr Mujahid Kamran and Syndicate members for awarding him an honorary degree in recognition of his 64 years services for Pakistan.