UoL awarded 10,227 degrees at 13th convocation

LAHORE: As many as 10,227 students were conferred degrees and medals at the 13^th convocation of the University of Lahore (UOL) held at its main Defence Road Campus here.

Punjab Governor Muhammad Balighur Rehman, also patron of the UoL and Awais Raoof, Chairman UoL Board of Governors (BoG), who were the chief guests at the convocation, distributed medals and degrees among the graduating students.

On this occasion, the governor awarded degrees to students, including PhDs (78), Masters (608), MPhils (2,887), and Bachelors (6,654) from 11 various faculties. Of them, 275 students received gold medals, 235 silver medals, and 198 bronze medals for achieving distinctions.

Punjab Minister for Higher and School Education Mansoor Qadir, UoL Rector Prof Dr Muhammad Ashraf, BoG Deputy Chairman Uzair Raoof and members, pro-rectors, deans, directors, HoDs, and members of the faculty and Board of Trustees also attended the event.

Addressing the convocation, the Punjab governor congratulated the graduates and praised the UoL for serving the nation in the field of higher education.

“Today, this campus alone boasts of hosting 40,000 plus students, 40 plus departments, and 11 faculties. M A Raoof has given this country a great educational institution that has become a source of pride for Pakistan,” he added.

Highlighting key achievements of the university, Dr Ashraf maintained that approximately 70,000 graduates, including 209 PhD scholars, have passed out from various disciplines during the 23-year journey of the varsity’s academic progress. “The UOL was founded in 1999 and was granted full degree-awarding status in 2002. The state-of-the-art facilities capable of offering innovative and quality training in a conducive and highly developed learning environment have significantly contributed to its current status as the largest private sector university in Pakistan,” he added.

Speaking at the ceremony, the BoG chairman said the UoL has been ranked 59th among the Top Universities of Southern Asia by the QS University Rankings and among the top 281-290 universities in Asia due to the quality of education.

“Traditionally, societies are divided between majorities and minorities. But we open our classroom doors to everyone providing equal opportunity to them,” he said.

He said students from diverse backgrounds, religions and countries, including Palestine, Iran, Uganda, Gambia, Afghanistan, and twenty other countries were studying at the varsity.