By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan
News & Features Services)
President Mamnoon Hussain advised the graduating students of
the Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET) that while they
were now about to enter their practical life, they will have to commit
and prepare themselves to serve the country and the nation.
He was addressing the SSUET graduates at the university’s
17th convocation held at the Karachi Expo Centre on April 10 in which around
1300 students from the disciplines of Computer, Electronics, Civil,
Telecommunication and Bio-Medical Engineering and Computer Science besides
those having completed their Masters were awarded degrees.
On the occasion, the President also presented Gold, Silver
and Bronze medals to graduates who bagged first, second and third positions in
their respective fields of study.
Addressing both in English and Urdu, President Mamnoon
Hussain said that convocations serve as a milestone in the life of a student
and extended congratulations to the passing out graduates while they were
entering a new era of life. Pointing that there was a time when focus used to
be laid both on education and grooming but today there was more focus on
education and not as much on grooming as required.
He described faculty as an essential part of an educational
institution with teachers being the most important factor for equipping their
pupils with knowledge and asserted that only talented and merited teachers
should be employed who could dispense better education.
The President pointed out that once a teacher completes his
education, he hardly find any opportunity for further training to
keep pace with ever-changing knowledge and, therefore, there is need for those
associated with the field of education, to establish such training-boosting
institutions for teachers.
He observed that the SSUET, which has been named after great
educationist and reformer, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, is a symbol of higher
education. Sir Syed, he stated, established an institution in the
sub-continent, the blessings of which will continue till last .
The President told the students that how when they are
entering a practical life, this country should deserve to have their priority
and they should prepare themselves to root out whatever deficiencies being
faced today.
President Mamnoon Hussain told the graduating students that
this country was achieved after colossal sacrifices and a great blessing of
Allah.
“Value this country and make all out efforts for its
progress and prosperity and play their due role to take it to new heights among
world nations”.
He called upon them to respect their parents and teachers
who led them to the accomplishment of their educational mission and said that
this would prove beneficial to them not only here but also in the world
hereafter.
The President hoped that they would take eulogized steps for
the cause of the country, the province and the city and prayed that may Allah
lead them to success in their practical life.
At the outset of his address, the President congratulated
the passing out engineers and described the award of degrees from this
prestigious institution an honor for them.
He described SSUET a legacy of the mission of great reformer
and educationist Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and said that the Aligarh Muslim
University Old Boys Association (AMUOBA) deserve every appreciation for
establishing this university.
“It is a matter of satisfaction that since its inception,
the SSUET had distinguished itself as a prestigious institution of the country
dedicated to the promotion of science and technology as was emphasized by
Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah in his message on November 27, 1947,” he
recognized.
The establishment of this university, he noted, was not a
small achievement but it was due to sheer hard work and dedicated efforts
. He was appreciative of the achievements made by SSUET in a short period.
He advised the graduates that now when they are entering a
practical life, they will face challenging tasks and they will have to stand up
to the same with fierce determination as there will be no short cut to achieve
success in their practical life.
On its part, the President said, the Government of Pakistan
is committed to the cause of education, particularly the science and technology
which is main key progress and prosperity.
Besides public sector, the government is also engaging the
private sector to achieve the cherished objectives and this sector is
responding positively towards the cause of nation building.
Earlier in his welcome address, Chancellor SSUET, Engr
Mohammed Adil Usman remarked that the Sir Syed University of Engineering &
Technology was established with a view to adorning the youth with the most
modern knowledge and made them available the best choices for study in the
field of latest technology.
The University, he said, was alive to the staggering speed
at which the technology is growing and also to the multiple dimensions the
technology is encompassing for its growth.
"To keep pace with the developments we must undertake
the cultivating, nurturing and mentoring of young minds, employing the best of
the available human and material resources", he stated.
Congratulating the graduates receiving degrees,
Chancellor Adil Usman pointed out that since its inception, the University has
been performing the sacred duty of developing the youth - capable to meet the
challenges of the modern world.
It was due to this fact that engineer from SSUET occupy
respectable positions in the national and multinational organizations in Pakistan and
abroad.
He referred to relevance with the main stream of modern
technical education and described it essential for the University. He said it
will be possible with continuous improving of our curricula and adding new
disciplines.
He said in 2014 new subjects of study like Software
Engineering, Bioinformatics and Architecture have been added and the university
will go further in the subsequent years too.
Engr Adil Usman said the Aligarh Muslim University Old Boys’
Association of Pakistan (AMUOBA), the sponsors of the SSUET, can look back with
satisfaction that their efforts have really been crowned with success.
The graduates from the SSUET have earned good name for the
University as well as for the country. They are serving honorably in the
countries, which are touching the zenith of progress in science and technology.
The University, he pointed out, stands for humanism,
tolerance, progress, adventure of ideas, the search of truth and for the new
breakthroughs in technology.
"We keep promotion of human values as the keynote of
schemes of our curricula and teach them importance of human values under the
caption ‘Aligarh Movement.’
The human values were so central to Sir Syed Ahmad Khan’s
intellectual journey and educational agenda and we are proud to claim our self
as custodian of his legacy, he stated.
Addressing the young graduates, he told them to bear in mind
that we are living in the times where knowledge is the ultimate power. The road
ahead may be long and full of perils and obstacles for them, but the journey
promises to be exciting, provided the honesty of the purpose is the guiding
force.
Presenting his annual report on the occasion,
Vice-Chancellor, Prof Dr Jawaid H. Rizvi, recalled that the SSUET was
established by the AMOUBA in 1994. It was an outstanding project accomplished
in the domain of education and a manifestation of AMUOBA's patriotism and
concern for nation building.
Today, he said, the enrollment which started with 222
students in 1994 has already crossed 6,500 and todate over 10,000 graduates
produced since 1998.
He recalled that in the first convocation in 1998, 197
students were awarded BS degrees and today over 1300 students are to receive
their Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Six disciplines.
The Vice-Chancellor pointed out that knowledge is expanding
at tremendous pace and new areas of study in Engineering and related fields are
emerging. This has given rise to the need for new disciplines in
the Universities. The introduction of these disciplines is essential to keep
pace with main stream of knowledge.
Sir Syed University of Engineering & technology, he
said, is fully alive to this scenario and has added three new disciplines
of Software Engineering, Bioinformatics and Architecture this year.
He said the University presently has 09 disciplines in its
BS Programme, while the Master Programme is in 06 disciplines. The Ph.D.
Programme is offered in Computer and Electronic Engineering disciplines for
faculty members only.
He said the university takes pride in the quality of its
laboratories which meet international standards and it is ensured that our
students have proficiency in practical work. Its eight labs have the best
available equipment.
He pointed out that SSUET was the first in Pakistan to introduce Bio-medical Engineering in
1996 benefitting health care services in Pakistan.
He gave a detail outline of the departments of Civil,
Electronics, Telecom and Computer Engineering.
He informed that the university library has over 90,000
books and its distinction role was of a book bank for students, teachers and
researchers.
Dr Jawaid said the University policy is that capable
students are not deprived of education due to weak financial position.
The University schemes of Scholarship and Financial Assistance provide help to
the deserving students, who have financial problems and for this purpose
Rs.56.05 million allocated in the budget.
The Vice-Chancellor said the University has a very active
Sports Department, which organizes teams for participation in Sports
competitions. The Cricket team of University has been showing prominence at
national and international levels and has the honor to give some prominent
players to the national hockey team.
He said the university has a separate forum, Brig (R)
Qamar-us-Slam Khan, Literary Art and Culture Forum which manages the cultural
activities in the University and prepares students to take part in different
competitions of debates, Qirat and Declamation. Our students have won first
prizes in many competitions held at national and local levels.
Concluding, he said, the Convocation is the day of the
graduates receiving degrees and gold medals which was moment of happiness and
pride for their parents and guardians too.
On the occasion Chancellor Adil Usman presented the SSUET's
souvenir to the President. The convocation was largely attended by members of
SSUET Board of Governors, prominent members of Aligarh Muslim University Old
Boys Association, dignitaries, members of the faculty and parents of passing
out graduates.
