Graduates finally

Updated on: Thursday, September 09, 2010

Sikkim Manipal University-Distance Education (SMU-DE) conducted its annual Convocation ceremony across cities from September 6-8.

The Kolkata leg kicked off on September 6 at Science City auditorium. The function was presided over by Major V Sivaramakrishnan of SMU DE, General Tej Bakshi, director SMU-DE and Brigadier Surjit Singh Pabla, vice-chancellor. Also present on the occasion were Professor Sujoy Ghosh of Jadavpur University and R Ramraj, founder of Sify.

Donning black capes and red hats, the students, over 171 of them waited with bated breath to receive the graduation certificate. Speaking on the occasion, Brigadier Pabla dwelt for long on the inception of SMU. He was followed by Tej Bakshi, who said, “There is need for more private players to come in distance education and education as a whole.”

Professor Sujoy Ghosh took the opportunity to uphold distance education at the same time uplifting the morale of the students. He said, “This happens to be a momentous occasion. It is wrong to think that distance education is for second grade students. Take heart, you are on equal footing with the degree holders from the university. You have an edge as you have more practical exposure.”

General Bakshi then administered the oath to the graduating students of 2010.

Degree certificates were awarded. Priyanka Dewan, an MBA student from Darjeeling was visibly excited. Accompanied by her father, she said, “We are really honoured. But we would have been happier, had the certificates bore our names.” Sanhita Nahata, a student of MBA in marketing from Alipurduar too shared Priyanka’s sentiments. Rajeev Sharma, another student of BCA felt let down. His father, Saneh Kumar Sharma said that the kids would have been happier with their names etched on the certificate. Two fifty-four-old students too completed their graduation finally.

The ceremony which started out with much regalia, somewhere left parents and their wards a bit disappointed. If Shakespeare said, “What’s in a name”, the students would argue that it could then be anyone else’s certificate. Hopefully, the point is taken.

Graduates finally

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