President Mamnoon Hussain addresses SSUET’s 17th Convocation

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.