Provincial Minister for Higher Education Syed Raza Ali Gillani has said that women education is the easiest route to the development of any nation. While addressing the 13th convocation as the chief guest at the Lahore College for Women University (LCWU), the minister congratulated the students who won awards, for academic performances, and those who received degrees. He said that their success was the result of their hard work for which credit also goes to their teachers and parents. He said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif are determined to promote education in the country and have, therefore, doubled the amount of budget for the education sector.
“Young generation is an asset for the country and a hope for a bright future. Pakistani women are talented and are playing an important role in medical, engineering, education, health and other fields,” he added.
On this occasion, a record 3702 graduates of BS, MS/MPhil, Pharm-D and PhD of the Batch of 2016were given degrees. Roll of honour was awarded to 320 students whereas 71 received gold medals.
The minister congratulated the graduates along with lauding the performance of the Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Rukhsana Kausar by saying that LCWU has grown rapidly under her supervision.
He said that the future of Pakistan is safe in the hands of the youth who are making progress in various fields of life. He pointed out that LCWU is striving to promote quality education among young girls.
Vice Chancellor, in her report, informed the governor that the Lahore College for Women University is pursuing the path of becoming one of the top-ranked universities in the world. She asked the parents to encourage their daughters to take up careers and become economically empowered.
The vice chancellor also pointed out that underprivileged students are receiving specified and need-based scholarships at LCWU without discrimination. “We have reduced fee at PhD level to make higher education accessible to students from all walks of life,” she said. “LCWU is a leading teaching and research university and a hub of academic excellence, producing highly-skilled, professionally empowered and well-groomed women who would have a positive impact on the socio-economic development of Pakistan,” she said.
Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Rukhsana Kausar said that the importance of higher education in the lives of women cannot be ruled out by a nation that wants to progress. Students have to be prepared for contributing to the social and economic development of Pakistan.
Guest of honour, Chairman Punjab Higher Education Commission Dr Muhammad Nizamuddin said that the importance of the role that an educated young woman plays in the development of her country cannot be ignored. The empowered women, he added, leaving Lahore College for Women University is going to become the leaders of tomorrow, who will contribute towards the socio-economic development of Pakistan. He said that he wanted youngsters to think that the degree they received today was a challenge for the future. Dr Nizam said that onus of responsibility lies on them and they have to carve a path for their own professional and entrepreneurial development.