LAHORE – Kinnaird College’s annual convocation, a much-awaited event for graduating students of the Master’s and Bachelor’s programmes, was held on February 22, but as excited as everyone was, the event came in for a lot of criticism. In certain sections, instead of leaving its mark as a well organized event whose memory would be something to remember, many students and parents, left, extremely disappointed by what they termed to be the inefficiency of the management.
The main issue, as some students put it, was lack of space, Pakistan Today learnt. The convocation held in the campus theater, had apparently was too cramped for students, parents and teachers. A student describes the place as ‘horrible’, as people were packed like sardines into the hall. “There were 940 degrees that were being handed out to graduating students,” says one of them. “Imagine that number, added to the number of parents for each of these students. And then, understanding that the auditorium was only fit for about 1800 people; if that is not bad, what is?” she questions.
“It was stuffy,” says another. “And the worst part was that if you went outside, there were no arrangements for refreshments. There should have been an understanding that so many people would be coming and there should have been proper catering for everyone. Instead of a lack of food and drinks, there should have been extra to give out. But here so many people were left without anything.” While the Vice Prinicpal, Nighat Khan, could not be contacted for any responses, Rukhsana David from Kinnaird College spoke to Pakistan Today and denied any blame upon the administration.
“I am afraid that students who did not adhere to the rules given by us and therefore cannot end up complaining that it was our fault,” she says categorically. “We had already issued notice that two whole batches of Master’s and Bachelor’s both would be graduating, and that each student was allowed to bring only one parent,” she specifies. “Instead, each student got an average of not only both her parents, but also one or two extra people. After this it is unfair to object to management and catering.”
There were also reports of a stampede inside the ampitheatre but David shrugs her shoulders off, saying she does not know of any such incident. “I do not know of any such thing,” she says. “The ampitheatre was open air, and probably did not end up in any “stampede”.”
But a student says that the doors were closed all of a sudden and guests were abruptly cut off from leaving, which caused some to panic, and as a result some women fell over. “This is a witnessed incident,” she says. “Some mothers fell down, and one of them twisted her ankle. It was terrible. I don’t know why the doors were closed…perhaps to stop everyone from leaving all at once; other than that there were parents who had to sit on the floor.”
