The Chief Guest, Dr Ishrat Ul Ebad Khan, addressing the gathering at the 2013 Convocation of the Aga Khan University.
- 10 years ago
19th December 2013
The Chief Guest, Dr Ishrat Ul Ebad Khan, the Governor of Sindh addressing the gathering at the 2013 Convocation of the Aga Khan University. The robe worn by the Chief Guest is decorated with rich gold embroidery on a teak brown background. The headgear is brown in colour with a gold embroidered 5.5 cm band and a 2 cm wide secondary green band and a green and teak brown tassel.
“….as the industrialised world grew economically, and as the Ottoman empire faded, prominent centres of knowledge emerged most rapidly in the West. Meanwhile, universities in the Muslim world, with some exceptions, generally tended to tread water.
“It was this situation that confronted us as we began to plan AKU. We had high hopes, but, to be candid, we also felt some trepidation. Was higher education still a central pillar around which to build the quest for human development? Were the costs justifiable when compared to other priorities? If we went forward, could we find appropriate allies, including a distinguished faculty? Would graduates emigrate to developed societies – rather than staying to serve their home communities?
“The fundamental question, in sum, was whether a new university in the developing world, in this day and age, could achieve sufficient levels of excellence – as measured by global standards – to bring genuine value to those we were committed to serve.
“We felt that we answered these questions successfully….And I think we can fairly say that the University has performed well when measured against our original goals.”
The Chief Guest, Dr Ishrat Ul Ebad Khan, the Governor of Sindh addressing the gathering at the 2013 Convocation of the Aga Khan University. The robe worn by the Chief Guest is decorated with rich gold embroidery on a teak brown background. The headgear is brown in colour with a gold embroidered 5.5 cm band and a 2 cm wide secondary green band and a green and teak brown tassel.
“….as the industrialised world grew economically, and as the Ottoman empire faded, prominent centres of knowledge emerged most rapidly in the West. Meanwhile, universities in the Muslim world, with some exceptions, generally tended to tread water.
“It was this situation that confronted us as we began to plan AKU. We had high hopes, but, to be candid, we also felt some trepidation. Was higher education still a central pillar around which to build the quest for human development? Were the costs justifiable when compared to other priorities? If we went forward, could we find appropriate allies, including a distinguished faculty? Would graduates emigrate to developed societies – rather than staying to serve their home communities?
“The fundamental question, in sum, was whether a new university in the developing world, in this day and age, could achieve sufficient levels of excellence – as measured by global standards – to bring genuine value to those we were committed to serve.
“We felt that we answered these questions successfully….And I think we can fairly say that the University has performed well when measured against our original goals.”