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Governor Lauds AKU’s Expansion of
National and International Academic Programmes
235 Doctors, Nurses and School Teachers
Graduate
“We are
all proud of the fact that Aga Khan University is the first
Pakistani university to carry the nation’s flag to foreign
shores. In doing so, it carries the high quality of its academic
programmes to many others in the Muslim and developing world,
creating goodwill overseas in ways that can only bring immense
benefits to our country as a whole,” said His Excellency Mohammedmian
Soomro, Governor of Sindh, the chief
guest at the 15th Annual Convocation of Aga
Khan University (AKU) on 2 November 2002.
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| MBBS
students taking the oath. |
The Governor
appreciated AKU’s plans to start postgraduate medical education
and teacher education programmes in Nairobi and Dar-es-Salaam,
and Professional Development Centres for teacher education
in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The University’s first graduation
ceremony outside Pakistan was recently held in Uganda, where
degrees were awarded to nursing and teaching professionals.
The success of nursing programmes in that country has led
to the accreditation of similar programmes in Kenya and Tanzania
where the first intake of students will begin classes in November
2002.In his
address, Governor Soomro said that the Province of Sindh was
fortunate to have an institution of AKU’s calibre and reputation,
and thanked the Chancellor, His Highness the Aga Khan, for
his vision and foresight.
Governor
Soomro lauded AKU’s role in the uplift of education across
the country, and highlighted AKU as an example of forward-looking
institutions forging meaningful and lasting partnerships with
provincial and federal governments. He highlighted some important
ongoing AKU projects in Sindh and across Pakistan, including
the Tawana Pakistan Project and other initiatives in rural
Sindh, to improve the quality and availability of primary
health care to underprivileged communities. “But to say that
Sindh has benefited more than most does not diminish what
AKU has done for all the other provinces of Pakistan,” the
Governor said.
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| MBBS
graduate, Dr. Mahboob Alam, receiving the award for the
Best Student. |
The Governor
appreciated the University’s dynamic plans for establishing
its Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the outskirts of Karachi,
on a 550-acre site. He said that the Link Road area, between
the Super Highway and the National Highway, where the Faculty
is to be located, would be developed as an ‘Educational City’.
“This is indeed essential if we are to protect the area and
provide a safe and scholarly environment conducive to educating
our young men and women,” the Governor emphasised.
Describing
AKU as a model institution, the Governor pointed out that
among its many objectives is “its strong adherence to merit-based
admissions, and its commitment to ensuring that no student
qualified for admission based on merit is denied entry for
lack of funds.” Tuition fees at AKU cover no more than 25
per cent of the true cost of its high-quality education, so
that all students benefit from tuition subsidies. Forty-five
per cent of AKU’s students receive some form of additional
financial assistance through scholarships and loans.
Governor Soomro referred to the inauguration of the Nazerali-Walji
Building for ambulatory care, which will provide outpatients
with easily accessible and comprehensive multipurpose facilities
under one roof; as well as to the Karimi Residences, the Noor
Residences and the Arman Rupani Residences for Women. The Khimji
Cardiac Care Building is also nearing completion. The construction
on AKU campus is taking place largely through the generous support
of donors, which demonstrates a confidence in this young university
that will turn twenty next year.At the
graduation ceremony, 78 students graduated from the University’s
MBBS programme and 119 from its Nursing programmes, including
32 in Post RN BScN, 26 in Bachelor of Science in Nursing and
61 with nursing diplomas. Two graduates received their Masters
degree in Epidemiology and eight others their Masters degree
in the joint disciplines of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.
The first batch of three graduates in Masters in Health Policy
and Management also received their degrees. Twenty-five graduates
from the Institute for Educational Development were awarded
Masters degrees in Education. Ann Rose Castellino, Assistant
Professor, Aga Khan University School of Nursing, led the
impressive faculty procession. The convocation
was attended by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of AKU,
Ambassador Saidullah Khan Dehlavi, members of the Board, academicians,
senior government officials, diplomats, donors, the University
faculty, the graduating students and their proud parents. Congratulating
the graduates, President
Shamsh Kassim-Lakha of AKU, said, “In your years at this
Institution, ethics and values have been at the forefront
of your education. Whether implicitly or explicitly taught,
the University has attempted to instil in you a code of moral
conduct by which you should govern your life, your relationships
and your interactions with your fellow human beings. Let others
find in you a source of help, inspiration and hope.” Kassim-Lakha
said that the many new initiatives of the University continued
to underscore the Chancellor’s vision of AKU as a genuinely
national institution. He stressed how “AKU’s increasing emphasis
on research is beginning to yield noteworthy results.” He
highlighted AKU’s collaboration with international institutions
such as the University of Alabama, which involves research
in maternal and child survival, and provides research training
courses in Karachi and abroad for Pakistani health professionals
to advance their expertise in occupational and environmental
health. Kassim-Lakha
said that Aga Khan Development Network, of which AKU is an
important component, had made available a grant of US $75
million for the rehabilitation of war-torn Afghanistan. As
part of that effort, “nursing and teacher education leaders
from AKU are now helping to build the country’s capacity to
restore quality health care and education,” he added. He also
said that AKU is involved in the planning of nurse and teacher
education programmes elsewhere in Central Asia, as well as
in Syria, where new initiatives will enhance
the quality of existing programmes, and fill gaps where no
such programmes currently exist. Kassim-Lakha
said that the University’s Institute for the Study of Muslim
Civilisations, established in London at the beginning of this
year, would strengthen research and education for the purpose
of enhancing knowledge and understanding of the heritage of
Muslim civilisations. Valedictorian
Farah Huma of AKU-IED class of 2002, describing her experiences
as a student, said that the high educational standards set
by the Institute encouraged critical thinking and reflective
practice. She said, “When we came to AKU, we did not know
how much this experience was going to change our lives....Our
stay at AKU has allowed us to broaden and deepen our vision
… and we now look forward to our role in improving the quality
of health and education in Pakistan and the developing world
as part of our service to humanity,” she added. More
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