Punjab University’s 131st Convocation: Governor vows to improve global rankings of universities in Punjab

LAHORE: Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar has said that it was his prime mission as Chancellor to improve international ranking of the universities in Punjab and the graduating students of Punjab University must be proud of their institution as it has advanced its international ranking and was the best university in Pakistan.

He was addressing the 131st Convocation of Punjab University at Faisal Auditorium. Senior Provincial Minister Mian Mahmood ur Rasheed, PU Vice Chancellor Prof Niaz Ahmad, Pro VC Prof Dr Muhammad Saleem Mazhar, Registrar & Controller Muhammad Rauf Nawaz, Additional Controller Raja Shahid Javed, members of Senate, Syndicate, senior faculty members and a large number of graduates and their parents participated in the event.

Addressing the ceremony, Sarwar said that it was a good omen that universities in Punjab were making their place in international ranking and especially PU VC, teachers and employees including sweepers deserved the credit for landmark improvement in QS ranking of international universities.

He said that another important challenge for him was to make regular appointments on the designations of VC, registrar, controller, treasurer as in most of the universities, acting charge was assigned to various persons on these coveted posts when he became Governor.

Now, he said, regular appointments had been made on these posts in most of the universities in Punjab. He advised the students that nothing was impossible and they could achieve their goals through hard work.

Senior minister Punjab Mian Mahmood ur Rashid said that it was his honour that he had also been a student of PU in 1972, the time when polarization on campus was at its peak. Later, he said, the students unions were banned due to conflicts and the university had started losing its magnificence.

However, he said, the university had gained its glory again in recent years and its progress at international level spoke the volume of academic achievements due to efforts of the VC and his team.

In his address, PU VC Prof Niaz Ahmad said that the governor had assigned him the task to ensure good governance and improve the international ranking of the university. He said that to ensure good governance, for the first time in the last 40 years of Punjab University, all statutory bodies of the university had been made functional to ensure transparency.

He said that in 2018, QS had ranked PU at 232nd position in Asian ranking of the universities and due to rigorous efforts of administration and teachers, PU had been declared 145th best university in Asia in 2021 among thousands of universities. He said in 2018, PU was counted among top 78 percent universities and now in 2021, PU had performed among top 62 percent universities of the world.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022