Campus Report :
UGC Chairman Professor Abdul Mannan attended the Second Convocation of the South Asian University (SAU) held at Pravasi Bharatia Kendra in New Delhi on Monday (12.05.2017). Professor Mannan is a Board and Finance Committee member of the university. SAU was established with the initiative of all SAARC countries in 2005 and the academic session began in 2010. Currently located at the Akbar Bhavan of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, in about two years the university is expected to move on its sprawling campus being constructed in Maidan Gari, South Delhi, where three academic buildings are nearing completion of its construction at a cost of Rupees 400 crore on a piece of 100 acre land donated by the Government of India. Government of India is also bearing all the capital expenditure of the university and it may go upto Rupees 25 hundred crores once completed.
This year 185 students graduated with Master’s Degree while 9 students were awarded M.Phil degree which included 27 students from Bangladesh. Currently 62 students from Bangladesh are studying in Masters, M.Phil and PhD level at SAU.
HE Deep Kumar Upadhya Ambassador of Nepal in India Presided over the Convocation as Visitor’s (Chancellor) nominee while MJ Akbar the Indian Minister of State for External Affairs was the Convocation Speaker. Dr. Kavita A Sharma, the President (Vice Chancellor) delivered the welcome address.
MJ Akbar in his address hoped that what SAARC could not achieve in last 32 years will be achieved by the present generation in next 32 years..
He expressed the curse of poverty, illiteracy, social backwardness that is hindering the progress of the sub-continent can only be removed with the spread of moden education. He also said today civilisation stands on the crossroads of destruction that will endanger the existence of mankind and the the current generation has more responsibility towards the mankind than their predecessors. Besides the UGC Chairman Shamsul Hoque, DG, SAARC of Bangladesh and a member of the Board and Dr. Mohammed Farashuddin, the Council Member of SAU also attended the Convocation.
