Daily Times

Being a Ravian is the most cherished goal of every student in general and of a student from a backward province in particular. The respect that this “Ravian” tag derives from others is itself a motivation to be part of this institution and to carry its legacy. But what actually is its legacy? Every Ravian is injected with few distinguishing qualities he has to acquire during his stay in this institution.

The first is the motto of GCU “courage to know”, which implies a hidden meaning of going out of the box and thinking within a broad horizon. Second feature, is to talk and speak elaborately and dress up decently indicating the outright difference that singles out a Ravian from others. The practical manifestation of these demarcating traits is carried out through 21 different university-level societies and 29 departmental level societies.

An overview of debating society would leave us astound with it being an institution in itself. Reading comprehensively on different issues and discussing them openly satiates one with a desire of being an epitome of knowledge, and an eloquent speaker. What more can be expected of an institution that exposes one to the most competitive environment: a milieu where students wrestle with each other over reading more and more extra books other than course books. Translating dreams into reality is a significant theme of the 21st century so one way of paying tribute to an institution is to follow in its footsteps.

My recent visit to the University of Balochistan (UoB) unveiled a sad fact that its students are keener to participate in Pushtoon Students Federation and Baloch Students Organisation than their classrooms. It is high time to inculcate liberal policies in our youth at the policy-making level. The UoB, as the only government-run university, must be raised at par with federal and other provincial institutions to provide parents a viable alternative to the prestigious Government College University, which lured me to part with my beautiful Balochistan for long four years.

Further, the activities of students inside the University of Balochistan must be watched vigilantly so as to whittle down nationalist proclivities in them. Engaging the youth in productive activities through socialising societies can help break shackles of the status quo optimally.