KARACHI: A total of 147 students received their graduation degrees at the 22nd convocation of Fatima Jinnah Dental College (FJDC) held on Wednesday at the PAF Convention Centre.

This year, the convocation ceremony was presided over by two vice chancellors who conferred the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) degrees to graduates; the Batch-22 of 83 graduates was the last to pass out under Karachi University, while Batch-23 comprising 23 students graduated under the Jinnah Sindh Medical University (JSMU).

Gold medals were awarded to 37 students and 26 shields were given away to students acquiring the three top positions in the four professional examinations.

Nabeela Akram Nawaz, who received 14 distinctions and three gold medals, and Erum Umer, who got 16 distinctions and four gold medals, received the Best Graduate award in Batch-22 and Batch-23, respectively.

Two staff members, Syed Zahid Ali Naqvi and Muddasar Asghar, were awarded gold medals for their dedicated services to the college for 15 years.

Highlighting the institution’s progress, Prof Tasleem Hosein of FJDC informed the audience that the college had produced 1,550 dental graduates since its establishment in 1992.

Dr Baqar Askary, the chief executive and head of the institution, in his speech urged students to continue their hard work and prepare themselves for future challenges.

He appreciated the services of Dr Inayatullah Padhiar, currently on the FJDC faculty supervising research and medical ethics, who recently received the Sitara-i-Imtiaz award, and described him as the uniting force among all groups of dentists.

Dr Padhiar, the chief guest, congratulated students on their success and advised them to serve all segments of society especially those who were unable to pay for treatment.

Karachi University Vice Chan­cellor Prof Mohammad Ajmal Khan in his speech appreciated the performance of the college and offered KU facilities for research, postgraduate and faculty development to the college.

Dr Lubna Baig, pro vice chancellor JSMU, told the audience that the JSMU established in 2012 was now the largest university in Sindh and the second largest in the country given the fact that all medical and dental colleges in Karachi (except Karachi Medical and Dental College) had transferred their affiliation from KU to the university.

She also mentioned the various disciplines and courses being offered by the university and the progress it had made so far.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2019