LAHORE - Governor Punjab Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar conferred degrees upon 1053 graduates at the 9th Convocation of the University of Management and Technology (UMT), Lahore, on Saturday.
Rana Mashood Ahmad Khan, Education Minister, Government of the Punjab, was the chief guest on this occasion.
Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector UMT, Abid HK Shirwani, Director External Affairs and Aneesa Rahat, Registrar, graced the Convocation with their presence. The Convocation was attended by graduating students and their parents, faculty members, educationists, eminent scholars, representatives of the print and electronic media. A total of 42 students received various Patron, Rector and sponsor medals on the basis of outstanding academic performance.
Tayyibah Naeem, MBA-P graduate, was awarded the Khurram Murad Medal for academic excellence. The Sardar Muhammad Ghalib Medal was awarded to Nida Ali, BS Electrical Engineering graduate while Ayesha Siddique, BS Social Sciences graduate, was awarded the Dr Muhammad Ahmed Medal.
This year UMT awarded PhD degrees in the field of education to Ghulam Mohyuddin and Seema Arif. A special PhD degree in absentia was awarded to Dr Sajjad Karim his efforts to promote good relations between Pakistan and the European Union.
In his welcome address Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad, Rector UMT, said that as followers of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him), we have been mandated to read (iqra). “Today, as we celebrate the success of the faculty members and students at the 9th UMT Convocation, we must take time to reflect on the fact that this convocation is being held at a time when the higher education landscape is changing. The Government looks to higher education for policy making. People and society seek its guidance to solve many issues. Parents look forward to higher education for transforming their children into employable assets.
The nation as a whole expects higher education to connect the past with the present and meet challenges of the future. UMT will promote higher education in terms of making it relevant to people, society, government and students,” he said.
Rector UMT concluded his address by saying that graduating students must realise that their future depends on their present and what they choose to do now. He advised graduates to create their own worlds and lead their lives to the fullest.
In his brief address, Governor Punjab Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, congratulated all the graduating students on entering a new phase in their lives. He said that UMT has taken the right direction under the leadership of Dr Hasan Sohaib Murad and has made tremendous progress on the academic front.
Governor said that British parliamentarians are famous for making long and boring speeches but Rector UMT has just made a long but very meaningful speech. He advised the graduates to focus on hard work and effective time management. He said that time is precious and the only way to succeed in life to make the most of it through sheer hard work.
Sharing his vision for the future, the Governor lamented the fact that 7 million children do not attend school but it is the priority of this government to send these children to school.  The other major priority is the provision of clean drinking water in schools. He said that he has written to all government and private universities to provide for water filtration plants so that their students and staff have access to clean drinking water.
Rana Mashood Ahmad Khan, Punjab Education Minister acknowledged the pivotal role of UMT in promoting higher education in the private sector and it has constantly been seeking new horizon for growth of higher education in the country. He conveyed his heartiest congratulations to the graduating students on behalf of the Punjab Chief Minister.
The Minister added that as graduating students of today getting ready to play their role as managers, administrators, engineers and professionals, the Punjab Government is taking concrete steps to revive the economy, especially the energy sector. He said that the Punjab Government was committed to harnessing the potential of the youth and the huge success of the Punjab Youth Festival bears testimony to this. The participation of 3.3 million youth set up 26 world records and earned Pakistan a place in the Guinness Book.
This year 354 participants graduated from the School of Business and Economics (SBE), 46 from the School of Science and Technology (SST), 194 from the School of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSS&H), 93 from the School of Professional Advancement (SPA), 88 from the School of Commerce and Accountancy (SCA), 40 from School of Textile and Design (STD), and 238 from School of Engineering (SEN).