abroad,” he said.
Meanwhile, the ZU Chancellor, Asim Hussain, who is also the chairman of Sindh Higher Education Commission, urged the Sindh chief minister to improve the provincial education system by revising at curriculum at primary level, establishing a postgraduate college for medical subjects and our own regulatory bodies after the 18th Amendment on urgent basis.
According to him, a vibrant civil society could not come into existence without liberal and critical approach. “The fundamentalist forces demand a critical approach,” he said. “I would even say at the risk of being criticised that one should be outspoken and not have an attitude towards status quo.”
He said all great reformers have always subverted the status quo to create a new society.
According to the chancellor, an 18-storey building with a 200-bed hospital will be established in Malir while 46 acres of land had been bought in Sukkur and 115 canal had been bought in Islamabad. In six months, he said, Ziauddin Hospital will also open a branch in UAE. The key-note speaker on the occasion, former Sindh governor Sindh and interior minister, Lt Gen (retd) Moinuddin Haider, said graduating students must know about Dr Sir Ziauddin Ahmed, his role as educationist, mathematician and parliamentarian of undivided India.
He said Sir Ziauddin Ahmed was also the longest-serving vice chancellor/rector of Muslim University Aligarh. Also speaking on the occasion, the chief minister informed the audience that because of outstanding faculty, a very effective teaching methodology, good laboratory facilities and above all an excellent opportunity for clinical training for medical, dental and pharmacy, his daughter too had selected this university to complete her BDS degree.
“She is here amongst you today and will receive her degree. As a parent it is a matter of great honour and pride for me that she is a graduate of ZU,” he said. The chief minister used the occasion to ask medical graduates to serve the public sector for at least a couple of years before going abroad for further studies or seeking professional career in the private sector.
He also claimed that recent casualties in Tharparkar district were witnessed mainly because of lack of professional health experts as hardly 20 doctors were doing their duties while almost 80 doctors had come to Karachi and other locations to earn more money. Later he distributed certificates to successful candidates after which all graduates took the Hippocratic Oath.
Breaking traditions
Usually, convocations at both public and private universities kick off with the auspicious recitation of verses from the Holy Quran and the national anthem. However, the Ziauddin University broke this precedent on Wednesday and introduced a new trend by starting the event with a song written by vice chancellor Prof Dr Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui. A group of university’s students sung the song in which they proudly appreciated their attachment with the ZU and the reason for choosing it.