BAHAWALPUR  - The World Space Week concluded at the Islamia University of Bahawalpur after a number of competitions were held among the district students.
The week was arranged under the auspices of SUPARCO to develop awareness the students about the importance of space. The university was among the seven selected universities of the country that arranged programmes in this regard. The day week was started to be observed in the world in 1967 when the United Natinns General Assembly signed an agreement in this regard.
A number of competitions among the students were held during October 8 to 10 at Abbasia Campus to mark the World Space Week in collaboration with the SUPARCO. Hundreds of students of different schools across the district took part in the contests. The students from these schools were invited to participate in these competitions and the response of the students was appreciable.
The Corps Commander, Bahawalpur, Lt-Gen Muhammad Haroon Aslam was the chief guest at the Inaugural ceremony of the week while Bahawalpur Division Commissioner Muhammad Khan Khitchi, Quaid-i-Azam Medical College Principal Khawaja Haroon Khursheed Pasha and Vice-Chancellor Dr Muhammad Mukhtar were also present.
A number of teachers, notables, students and educationists attended the three-day events enthusiastically. SUPARCO Deputy Director General Shakeel Zahid and Divisional Director Dr Shuja Taimouri supervised the proceedings of the week and fully assisted and guided the students and teachers about the ongoing competitions aimed to explore talent. The water rocket launching competition was won by Hafiza Asma Majeed of Govt Girls High School while Mishal of Govt Girls Higher Secondary School got second position and Muhammad Jehanzeb of Fazil High School remained third.
The Quiz competition based on Space information was won by Govt Girls High School, Yazman while Govt Girls High School, Canal Colony, remained second and Govt Sadiq Abbas High School, Ahmedpur East got third position.
Barza Munir of Convent School, Bahawalpur received first prize in the Urdu speech competition while Hafiz Muhammad Ammar of Sadiq Abbas High School, Ahmedpur East got second prize and Fakiha Bashir of Govt Girls Secondary School, Satellite Town, earned third prize.
Rafia Taseer of the Life Sciences Department, IUB got first position among the seniors speech competition in Urdu while Shahida Parveen of the IUB English Department received first prize in the English speech competition of senior students. The English speech competition was won by Fatima Javed of the Convent School, Bahawalpur while Hafiz Ammar and Sajjal Afzal got second and third positions respectively.
The Dominican Convent School, Bahawalpur won the posters competitions while the students of the Sadiq Abbas School, Ahmedpur East got second position and Govt Girls Higher Secondary School, Satellite Town, Bahawalpur remained third.
The vice-chancellor congratulated the students and their teachers over their potential and deep interest in the respective field. He remarked that our youth are fully capable to achieve the heights in every field and we were proud of them and confident that they would serve the nation with distinction.