Highlights from the first program of Kathmandu University’s 19^th Convocation Ceremony

13 December 2013

Kathmandu University (KU) held the first programme of its 19^th Convocation ceremony in the premises of its main campus, Dhulikhel, on 13 December 2013. Graduates from different programmes of five Schools (Science, Engineering, Management, Education and Arts) were awarded degrees in this ceremony.

This is the first time for any Chinese dignitary to participate in KU convocation. Similarly, after the transfer of leadership to the new generation, this is the first Convocation for Prof. Dr. Ram Kantha Makaju Shreshta as the Vice Chancellor, for Prof. Dr. Bhola Thapa as the Registrar and Prof. Dr. Panna Thapa as the Controller of Examinations.  

Altogether 1020 students graduated in this convocation. This included 202 in science, 246 in engineering, 364 in management, 101 in education and 137 in arts.

The total number KU graduates by this year has reached 1669 in science, 1861 in engineering, 3181 in management and 659 in education and 1232 in arts.

Among the graduates of today, 31 (3%) were foreign citizens. The number of female graduates was 40 percent.

The degree in MS by Research in Glaciology was awarded today for the first time in Nepal.

The following graduates received medals for outstanding results:

Mr. Ananda Raj Devkota (Chancellor Gold Medal)

Mr. Sandip Sahani (Vice Chancellor Gold Medal

Ms. Rajshree Kothari (Juddha Bahadur Shreshta Gold Medal)

Mr. Saurav Pokharel (Ran Bahadur Shah Gold Medal).

I wish that this occasion inspires you to utilize your knowledge, skills and abilities in the welfare of all living beings, in making the earth a beautiful and pleasant place and in ensuring happiness, peace and prosperity for the country and countrymen.

The fact that people very often mention the necessity of establishing institutions of international merits such as Kathmandu University exemplifies its prominence in the field of education. I feel the need of formulating integrated plans of further partnership and collaboration between educational institutions and information technology sector and educational institutions and industries in the development of the University. Similarly, the collaboration between Kathmandu University and industries to introduce new programmes will have positive impact in the country’s development.

Educational development and economic progress go parallel in the condition that educational institutions supply quality workforce for industrial development and industries provide financial aids to ensure poor people’s access to education. As a result, opportunities for other quality services will be availed conveniently. I request you to rest assured of the government’s readiness to help in this direction. At the same time, I invite the national and international aid agencies, political parties and local communities since their cooperation is inevitable.

In his welcome address the Vice Chancellor remarked:

Building prosperous Nepal does not involve economic prowess alone. Most importantly, upgrade in our sensibility and wisdom is necessary. The same can bring purity in politics and induce other different aspects of progress. Besides, the knowledge we have gained and the skills learned must come into practice, preferably in areas where there is a dire need.  Your inclination to personal gains and losses cannot fulfill this expectation. This will be the main cause of despair for all of us.

How did this naturally prosperous nation become a land of the poor? We must ponder over this reality. We have infinite natural resources; we have received congenial climate, diverse landscape, agricultural productivity, biodiversity, and water resource as invaluable gifts from nature.  So, how long would it take for our country to prosper if we maximized the right utilization of this diversity? Our principal role should be in helping to check environmental degradation, in trying regularly to minimize food contamination, retaining the naturalness of the natural resources and promoting tourism. Apart from the knowledge and skills to utilize the resources, we must have optimum commitment as well. And, commitment is what we expect from our graduates today, the commitment to give meaning to the knowledge and skills they have received from this University.

We need opportunity to utilize what we have learned. But we don’t always expect the government to create that opportunity. I would rather like to say we can create space for others with the best of our capacities. It will be a sheer underestimation of our potential if we only wait for the government or others to create opportunities for us. My message to the graduates today is: let us know our own potentials and be our own best guides.

In his convocation speech, the Chief Guest emphasized:

Have a modest and tolerant mind. I hope you can appreciate, tolerate, learn from and work with others and show your benevolence to those around you. I also hope each one of you will have the broad mind of appreciating your own virtues as well as other’s virtues. By combining other’s virtues with your own ones, you will build a harmonious world.

Be a talent with high morality. Intelligence and integrity are the prerequisite and foundation for achievements. Great ambition but little talent will take you nowhere. High intelligence without sense of responsibility or morality will not forge a talent, either. I hope everyone of our graduates to devote your youth and enthusiasm, wisdom and knowledge, innovation and efforts to the society so as to prove your own value.

Have teamwork spirit and be good at action. A responsible person shall understand the overall situation, sacrifice the personal interests for the collective benefits, and be good at cooperating with others. In study, we shall learn from each other and help each other,

Keep the habit of reading, learning, and exploring. Lifelong learning is a must in the age of knowledge economy and globalized economy. In the era of knowledge economy, a person has to learn during the lifetime so as to march along with the times.

Hold fast to your dreams with an open and practical mind. An open mind will enable you to face successes or failures properly, with neither conceit nor underestimation.