Lahore: Punjab Group of Colleges has awarded cash prizes to position holders in matriculation examination conducted by the Lahore Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education in 2016. Prizes worth Rs.7 million were distributed among those securing top 50 positions at a recently held ceremony at the Punjab College campus. University of Education vice chancellor Prof. Dr. Rauf Azam was the chief guest and renowned poet and writer Sophia Baidar the guest of honour. Cheques of Rs400,000; Rs300,000; Rs200,000; and Rs100,000 were distributed among students according to their positions in the examination. Addressing the gathering, University of Education VC Prof. Dr. Rauf Azam praised the contributions made by the Punjab Group of Colleges in the country’s education sector. He said the group was rendering a huge service to the society by providing quality education at its various institutions of higher learning. He said it was heartening to know that the group was also working to spread the light of education in far-flung areas of the country at a fee that was considerably lower than that charged by other educational institutions. Azam said that encouraging those showing good performance with cash prizes would motivate other students to work hard and perform well in their exams. Punjab Colleges Lahore director Prof. Agha Tahir Ijaz said the purpose of the activity was to encourage students to perform even better in their future endeavours. Sophia Bedar recited her poetry for which she received appreciation from students. Published in Daily Times, July 12th , 2017.