{"id":4008,"date":"2026-01-20T12:41:39","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T07:41:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spinpk.com\/?p=4008"},"modified":"2026-01-20T12:41:39","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T07:41:39","slug":"aga-khan-university-graduates-over-400-students-and-installs-princess-zahra-aga-khan-as-pro-chancellor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spinpk.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/20\/aga-khan-university-graduates-over-400-students-and-installs-princess-zahra-aga-khan-as-pro-chancellor\/","title":{"rendered":"Aga Khan University Graduates Over 400 Students and Installs Princess Zahra Aga Khan as Pro-Chancellor"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>2 Minute, 54 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>

The\u00a0Aga Khan University\u00a0graduated\u00a0461\u00a0students from\u00a018\u00a0degree\u00a0programmes at its\u00a038th<\/sup>\u00a0Convocation in Pakistan\u00a0and\u00a0formally installed Princess Zahra Aga Khan as\u00a0the University\u2019s\u00a0first\u00a0Pro-Chancellor.\u00a0As Pro-Chancellor, Princess Zahra will guide AKU in its continuing efforts to improve quality of life.<\/p>\n

In\u00a0his\u00a0message, AKU\u2019s Chancellor, His Highness the Aga Khan, noted that the\u00a0Aga Khan University and its\u00a0graduates\u00a0carry\u00a0\u201cboth an extraordinary responsibility and an extraordinary opportunity: to create, to disseminate, and to apply knowledge in ways that improve the quality of human life.\u201d<\/p>\n

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This year saw the\u00a0graduation of the first cohort\u00a0from\u00a0the\u00a0Institute for Educational Development\u2019s\u00a0Bachelor of Education programme.\u00a0The programme offers a rigorous blend of academic and field-based learning that\u00a0prepares\u00a0graduates to teach effectively in diverse school contexts.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe University\u2019s geographic expansion has seen AKU\u2019s presence expand across Pakistan, into more cities and villages than ever before,\u201d said AKU\u2019s Pro-Chancellor, Princess Zahra Aga Khan. \u201cFrom\u00a0Karachi\u00a0to\u00a0Matiari, from Lahore to Gilgit, the University\u2019s health care professionals, educators, and researchers are part of the fabric of people\u2019s lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The Aga Khan University\u00a0continues to address Pakistan\u2019s critical development challenges through a commitment to access and excellence.\u00a0With\u00a0nearly 70\u00a0percent\u00a0of the graduating class being women,\u00a0the University\u00a0is actively addressing the gender gap in a country where millions of girls\u00a0remain\u00a0out of school.<\/p>\n

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Valedictorian Muhammad Taha Nasim thanked AKU\u2019s faculty, noting how they challenged graduates to\u00a0\u201creach\u00a0our\u00a0highest standards while teaching us that excellence without empathy is empty.\u201d<\/p>\n

AKU\u2019s graduates are filling\u00a0important\u00a0workforce gaps.\u00a0For example, in a country with a\u00a0nurse-to-population ratio\u00a0of\u00a0just 5.2 per 10,000, AKU alumni\u00a0now hold high-level leadership positions in approximately 80\u00a0schools of nursing and midwifery.<\/p>\n

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In 2025, AKU secured\u00a0more than\u00a0USD$100\u00a0million in research funding, a sign\u00a0that\u00a0leading global institutions\u00a0hold its research capabilities in high regard.\u00a0Across AKU,\u00a027\u00a0faculty members\u00a0were ranked among the top\u00a0two\u00a0percent of scientists globally in a well-known study\u00a0conducted\u00a0by a researcher at Stanford University.<\/p>\n

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\u201cPakistan\u2019s young people are inclusive, comfortable across faiths and perspectives, and aware that a divided society cannot meet shared challenges.\u00a0Digitally fluent, they\u00a0see technology not as disruption but as opportunity \u2014 to expand knowledge, build skills, and apply learning in practical ways,\u201d\u00a0noted Dr Sulaiman Shahabuddin, President of AKU.<\/p>\n

To ensure talented students with limited financial means\u00a0are able to\u00a0attend AKU,\u00a0the University provides\u00a0financial\u00a0assistance,\u00a0to\u00a0a large portion\u00a0of the student body. In the last academic year, the University\u00a0provided assistance to\u00a072\u00a0percent of\u00a0students\u00a0across all classes and programmes in Pakistan.<\/p>\n

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Noorish\u00a0Khan, Syeda Tasmiya Mohiuddin, Dr. Hamzah\u00a0Jehanzeb, and Sara Karim Sadruddin received Best Graduate Awards in their respective undergraduate programmes in Dental Hygiene, Education, Medicine, and Nursing.<\/p>\n

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Also present at the ceremony was\u00a0Shamsh Kassim-Lakha,\u00a0Founding\u00a0President of AKU\u00a0and\u00a0Chairman\u00a0of\u00a0the Board of Trustees of the\u00a0University of\u00a0Central Asia,\u00a0a sister\u00a0university\u00a0of AKU\u00a0within the\u00a0Aga\u00a0Khan\u00a0Development\u00a0Network.<\/p>\n

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The University conferred Awards of Distinction\u00a0upon\u00a0several\u00a0faculty and\u00a0staff,\u00a0recognising their sustained contributions to innovation,\u00a0research\u00a0and leadership.\u00a0Professor Emeritus Mushtaq Ahmed received the President\u2019s Medal, one of AKU\u2019s highest honours, in recognition of his extraordinary service as an eminent surgeon and academic leader.<\/p>\n

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The\u00a0Aga Khan University\u00a0graduated\u00a0461\u00a0students from\u00a018\u00a0degree\u00a0programmes at its\u00a038th\u00a0Convocation in Pakistan\u00a0and\u00a0formally installed Princess Zahra Aga Khan as\u00a0the University\u2019s\u00a0first\u00a0Pro-Chancellor.\u00a0As Pro-Chancellor, Princess Zahra will guide AKU in its continuing efforts to improve quality of life. In\u00a0his\u00a0message, AKU\u2019s Chancellor, His Highness the Aga Khan, noted that the\u00a0Aga Khan University and its\u00a0graduates\u00a0carry\u00a0\u201cboth an extraordinary responsibility and an extraordinary opportunity: to create, to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4009,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[468],"class_list":["post-4008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-the-aga-khan-university"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spinpk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4008"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spinpk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spinpk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spinpk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spinpk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4008"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/spinpk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4008\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4010,"href":"https:\/\/spinpk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4008\/revisions\/4010"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spinpk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spinpk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spinpk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spinpk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}