TOBA TEK SINGH: The University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF), in collaboration with the US Consulate General Lahore, hosted the graduation ceremony of the 3rd cohort of the `English Access Scholarship Programme` on Wednesday.

The event honoured the achievements of 200 students who completed the two-year English language, cultural awareness and personal development programme.In her virtual remarks, US Consul General Kristin K Hawkin praised the teachers and students for their dedication and commended the programme for its role in empowering youth through education and cross-cultural understanding.

She appreciated the role of UAF as a partner in the execution of the Access Programme.

She said two teachers of UAF`s Access Programme got the opportunity to visit the US on the academic and cultural exchange programme.

She hoped that those teach-ers would practice modern teaching methods in their classrooms.

In his keynote address, UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Zulfiqar Ali said that powerful communication was key in presenting and proving ones point.

He said the performances, confidence and communication of students during the ceremony indicated that the programme successfully transformed the students in twoyear.

Chief Guest Dr Muhammad Iqbal appreciated the role ofUAF, teachers and staff in achieving the objectives of the programme.

He said that all the teachers got training in Islamabad from international trainers. He also shared details about the upcoming learning opportunities from the US Department of State for teachers.

UAF Access Programme Director Dr Abdul Ghaffar said that effective communication was the key to success in life and the programme had done an excellent job to sharpen the communication skills of the students.UAF Access Programme Manager Umar Farooq said that UAF`s academia, administration and the programme team were learning and growing to achieve the objectives of the institution.

Later, graduates shared heartfelt reflections about their journey, highlighting how the programme helped them improve their English skills, gain self-confidence, and think globally, while acting locally.

The event also featured cultural performances and certificate distributions.