The University of Sindh has conferred 755 Bachelors, Masters, M.Phil and Ph.D Degrees while 99 male and female candidates received gold and silver medals in academic convocation-2009 held on Sunday morning at Allama I.I.Kazi Campus jamshoro.
The acting Governor Sindh and acting Chancellor of the University Mr.Nisar Ahmed Khuhro presided over the convocation and conferred degrees upon the candidates and decorated with gold medals to meritorious students and special gold medals to outstanding students on their educational performance. The convocation was attended by recipients along with their parents and also a number of educationists, scholars, Vice Chancellors of public and
private sector Universities and academia. The scholars who received Ph.D degrees were Mr. Mehboob Ali Siyal in Biotechnology, Habib Ahmed Minhas in Islamic Culture, Ms. Bilquis Begum Shaikh in Physiology, Mr. Abdul Manan Shaikh in Zoology, Ms. Aamna Baloch in Analytical Chemistry, Syed Iqrar Hussain Shah in Botany, Mr. Sajjad Hayat Akhtar in ducation, Mr. Ghulam Abbas in Analytical Chemistry, Mr. Abdul Latif Korai in Fresh Water Biology and Fisheries, Mr. Inamullah and Mr. Mumtaz Ali Dangrach in Islamic Culture while two scholars Mr. Abdul Majeed and Mr. Zafarullah received M.Phil degrees in Botany and Education disciplines respectively.
The Top Faculty students who received the gold medals: Miss.Noorul Ain Pirzada, Muhammad Junaid Shaikh and Miss Iraum Jabeen Syed in faculty of Arts, Muhammad Mujtaba and Miss Ambreen Syed in Faculty of Natural Sciences, Miss Gulnaz Rajput in Faculty of Islamic Studies, Miss Bisma Baig , Miss Sania Wagan and Miss Saima Abbasi in Faculty of Social Sciences, Miss Madiha Mughal in Faculty of Education, Miss Shahida Mallah
in Faculty of Pharmacy while Miss Asma Rao in Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration. Five candidates received special gold medals in different disciplines.
Allama I.I.Kazi memorial Gold Medals were sponsored by noted educationist Dr.N.A Baloch. One Gold medal was announced for award to Prof.Dr.Jeremy D.Brown President of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, USA who served and extended collaboration to the University of Sindh and signed MOU for exchange of students, faculty and executive heads. He assisted 1200 Pakistani students to avail scholarship and graduate from Edinboro University during 1985-2010 while second Allama I.I.Kazi memorial Gold Medal was awarded to Miss Asma Amanullah to top scorer student in B.Ed Program 2009.
Allama Ghulam Mustafa Qasimi Gold Medals were awarded to Sikandar Ali Halepoto of M.A. (H) Sindhi and Miss Tayyaba Shaikh in M.A (Pass) Islamic Culture. 81 position holder candidates received silver medals which includes 13 silver medals received by candidates in disciplines of Faculty of Arts, 37 silver medals by candidates in disciplines of the Faculty of Natural Sciences, 2 silver medals in Pharmacy, 17 in social sciences,4 in Commerce
and Business Administration, 6 in education and 2 silver medals to candidates of faculty of Islamic studies. Among degree recipients, 58 candidates received Bachelors and Masters
degrees in disciplines of Faculty of Arts, 125 candidates in Commerce and Business Administration, 12 candidates in Faculty of Education, 16 candidates in Faculty of Islamic Studies,6 candidates in Faculty of Law, 27 candidates in Faculty of Natural Sciences, 54 candidates in Faculty of Pharmacy and 132 candidates in the Faculty of Social Sciences.
The acting Governor Sindh Mr.Nisar Ahmed Khuro distributed Ph.D and M.Phil degrees among the candidates and decorated candidates with Gold Medals and special gold Medals while the Vice Chancellor Dr.Nazir A. Mughal distributed Bachelors and Masters Degrees among all recipients and decorated candidates with silver medals.
Speaking on this occasion Mr.Khuhro lauded efforts of the University of Sindh and said that proud graduates of the University of Sindh are a proud for Sindh. He said that this University had faced many difficulties but it has witnessed development with continuous struggle in higher education. He said that today students of the University of Sindh and parents of
students feel proud on their Alma matter. He said that today world is known with name of competition and only skilled and competent candidates would be able to survive in the world of competition. He appreciated students on their achievements in education and on
receiving of medals and said that they are administrators, educationists and scientists of the future. He said that today world including our country is facing different problems including energy crisis, food crisis and urged upon the scientists to come forward with solution of these problems. He said that we must get benefit from natural resources available in Pakistan and educationists and scientists should work on it specially young graduates dedicate their efforts to overcome to the problems. He said that we are yet to exploit the Thar coal and pointed out that Muhtarma Shaheed Benazir Bhutto had initiated and invited to investors but
after her government, about 12 years work on thar coal was stopped. He also underlined need of attention on specialized education and added that higher education in Pakistan is not costly compared to other Countries in the world.
He said that Government taken initiates to establish Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Chair and Convention center in the University with a cost of Rs.13 Croce and added that Government of Sindh also released funds for construction of Postgraduate Hostel here. He also paid rich tribute to Muhtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed and announced that Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Memorial Gold Medal will be awarded to one outstanding student of Sindh University every year. The Vice Chancellor University of Sindh Prof.Dr.Nazir A.Mughal in his welcome speech congratulated to recipients of degrees and Gold Medalists and Silver medalists and also expressed thanks to the acting Governor for accepting invitation.
The Vice Chancellor lauded efforts made by Mr.Khuhro for establishment of Shaheed Muhtrama Benazir Bhutto Chair and the Convention Centre in the University. The Vice Chancellor while congratulating recipients on their achievements said that convening of this Convocation 2009 is also a matter of personal satisfaction for his as Convocation ceremonies are now regular item of the University’s academic calendar. He said that the University endeavoured to equip the students during their stay in the University with skills to face the world and serve community and the country and to fulfill mission of their Alma mater.
He said that graduating candidates now would be entering into practical life and advised them to be part of globalized world and face the two scientific discoveries which have left enormous impact on the daily life of mankind. First is the revolution of Information Technology and second is the impact of climate change Dr.Mughal said. Addressing the recipients the Vice Chancellor said that as you leave the University, you would be entering into a world that has transitioned in to a world of sophistication and explosion in Telecommunication, Informatics and Information Superhighway Dr.Mughal said and added that Information Technology has internationalized the higher education with learning
acquiring a global aspect. He said that digital revolution is going to change the whole spectrum of life with far-reaching implications especially for developing countries
and added that it has opened new avenues for sharing knowledge with developed countries at a speed not known in the entire history of mankind. Dr. Mughal said that unprecedented technological advances have led to dramatic changes in the way we live our lives and do our jobs, although,even as I speak, none of us can understand exactly what or how far
reaching these changes will be in the next decade.
Dr.Mughal pointed out that information technology has been labeled as the
Information Superhighway and added that this information superhighway has
reached our consciousness and our lives so quickly that truly informed no
longer need to utter all eight syllables: the latest expressions being
used are the “I-WAY”, or the “Infobahn”.
He said that vision of the Information Superhighway, is relatively
simple: an unprecedented, nationwide- and, eventually, worldwide-
electronic communication network that connects every one to virtually any
where else, and provides just about any sort of electronic communication
interface conceivable. You get “I-Way” on highway, this network, through
computer, telephone or cell and television Dr.Mughal said adding that
through them and even with pagers and cellular phone, we are able to
access remote electronic banking, shopping, chatting, game playing, movie
ordering, video conferencing, and medical diagnosing or even directing
intricate surgical procedures where specialist cannot reach in time
through conventional means.
He said automated speaker recognition system, an electronic voice print,
has rendered ID cards, credit cards, and other current forms of
identification obsolete and added that in addition Bio informatics has
emerged as an important branch and no one really owned the Information
Superhighway; it is simply everyone’s computers, networked with all the
government and corporate networked, all connected and extended to
individual personal computers at the end of the line.
Only one global information highway currently exists: Internet but during
the last two decade global networking is being operated by Information
giants.
Dr. Mughal pointed out that user population of internet, which was hardly
a couple of millions about 20 years ago, has soared up to an estimated now
more than 50 million pages on the web, with over a million pages being
added every month.
In 1997, Dr.Mughal further pointed out that about 2.7 trillion e-mail
messages were sent on the net and added that if those estimates are close
and if that rate of growth were to continue, Internet’s population will
match the population of the world before the year 2010. It has already led
to “globalization Dr.Mughal said.
The impact of this on the process of higher education and society I can
only describe as unimaginable Dr.Mughal said and added that in our part
of the world the higher education enterprise, is now being taken, in
particular during the last decade, as knowledge based economy.
He said that people are living longer than ever before in recorded
history, thanks to advances in Medical Sciences enjoying enhanced life
span and better health. Dr.Mughal said that as educators – and as an
educated people – we need to turn our attention to what the increased life
expectancy means to our colleges and universities, to our students and
their aspirations, and to our faculty.
Will a traditional “K to 12” education, supplanted even by a college or
graduate degree, be an adequate education for a life span of 80 to 100
years? Dr.Mughal said and added that we must project/anticipate a new
army of students – a new class of highly intellectual non-traditional
students of future centuries.
Dr.Mughal said that challenges to higher education, indeed the
responsibility, is one of charting our way along the turns of these
unmarked roadways and added that we need to gear our thinking to finding
the right “on ramp” not only to teach people what was known yesterday
but also to prepare them for what some body might know tomorrow.
He said that there is a need to re-think, now what teaching and learning
will become and added that new order of students must have the capacity to
become self-teachers- self-professors as it were- because as the volume of
information we must assimilate grows, the rate at which that information
becomes obsolete and even irrelevant grows as well.
The population explosion has pushed us to open institution of learning
through Distance Education and now On- Line Education to get degrees
Dr.Mughal said.
He said that current faculty teaching role will surely experience change
and added that focus of teaching and learning moves more towards the
student, new and different methods to evaluate student learning must
follow.
We, as educators, must equip students and graduates with the skills needed
to adjust to rapid technology change, and, hopefully, enable them to
contribute positively to that change Dr.Mughal said.
Speaking about revolutionary climate change the Vice Chancellor pointed
out that universe is witnessing a new enlarge and industrial revolution
which is affecting risks of climate change. The few decades will bring is
significant change of global temperature not seen in the planet for tens
of million of years.
He said that cities around the world are responsible for around two-third
of both energy and greenhouse gas emissions and added that choices that
are made about transport infrastructure, building, and industry in cities
as they grow rapidly in the next few decades, will determine via the
technology and ways of life they lock-in, whether mankind can both manage
climate change and draw the benefit of the new patterns of growth.
According to the recent data, Dr.Mughal further pointed out that the
challenge for the world as a whole is to cut global emissions by at least
60% between your now and 2050 whilst maintaining or enhancing growth and
overcoming poverty. Mega cities will be at the center of this story he
added.
According to various scientists, Dr.Mughal said that green house gas
concentration have increased to around 435 parts ppm of carbon
dioxide-equivalent to CO2e, from around 285 in the mid 19th century, and
are now rising at a rate of around 2.5 ppm per annum and added that if
this ratio continues for a century, we would add at least 300ppm more,
taking concentration to around 750mm CO2e by the end of this century.
He said that a rise of 5 degree is immense: it would mean average
temperatures that the planet has not seen for more than 50 million years.
It has not been 3 degree warmer than today for around 3 million years.
Homo sapiens have experienced nothing like this, being present for only
around 200,000 years Dr.Mughal said and added that such a warming could
cause so much disruption to local habitats and climates, through flooding,
desertification, water shortage, that 100’s of million people have to more
with the associated risks and external conflict.
In contrast, Prof.Mughal pointed out that transition to low carbon growth
in the world economy over the next two or three decades is likely to bring
dynamic, innovative and creative growth, large and growing markets and
opportunities for the pioneers.
On this occasion the Vice Chancellor also appreciated faculty members and
staff members for arrangements of the Convocation. He also appreciated
services of Prof.Dr.Parveen Shah Secretary academic Convocation-2009 and
awarded a certificate of appreciation to Dr.Shah.
The Secretary of academic convocation-2009 Prof.Dr.Parveen Shah in her
vote of thanks appreciated cooperation of all members of organizing
committee, conveners and members of various arrangements committees.
