The Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Karachi conferred degrees on 926 graduates at its convocation 2019 held at the main campus on Saturday.
The graduating batch included 673 undergraduate students from six programsme, 252 postgraduate students from seven programmes and one PhD scholar.
The chief guest of the ceremony was the prime minister’s adviser on finance and revenue, Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh. Sindh Minister for Food and Parliamentary Affairs Nisar Ahmed Khuhro and The Citizens Foundation Co-Founder Mushtaq Chhapra attended as guests of honour.
Executive Director IBA Dr Farrukh Iqbal congratulated the graduating students and their families and announced that 80 per cent of the institute’s current graduating batch had attained employment of their choice within three months of graduation.
Addressing the audience, he announced that the first cohort of BS Economics and MS Journalism were graduating and would enter the job market. Furthermore, he said, the IBA was the first institute to offer a specialised degree in journalism.
Chhapra applauded the IBA’s initiative to start the Responsible Citizen Initiative (RCI) or Social Internship, saying that many institutions of higher learning were following in the footsteps of the IBA. He highlighted the diversity at the IBA and mentioned that many graduates of the TCF had obtained education from the institute through its financial assistance programme. He also said, “Life is not about being rich, popular or highly educated; it’s about being real. It’s all about being humble and being kind.”
Khuhro said the skillset which the graduates had learnt at the institute would help them with the intricacies of life. He added that being graduates of the IBA made them stand out from the rest and endowed them with a responsibility to perform well. He said, “With a legacy of more than six decades, the IBA has proven to be a hub of nurturing talents from which not only Pakistan but the whole world has benefitted. This esteemed institution has produced nothing but the best leaders and professionals that not only lead but inspire.” Chief guest Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh appreciated the efforts of the IBA and asked the students to value the virtues this institute had empowered them with. He urged the graduates to strive for excellence.
“No great institution, and the great achievement, has been possible without one person saying I don’t care about the odds. I want you to be those people who don’t care about the odds and on the course to greatness.”
The convocation ceremony featured the position holders in various degree programmes who were awarded cash prizes, medals, shields and certificates of merit. Graduating students excelling in the field of sports were also recognised.