Rashid Ahmad

Academic career

Prof. Dr. Rashid Ahmad completed Matriculation with Sc. Hygiene & Physiology, in 1951, F.Sc with Pre-engineering in 1953 and then B.A with Double Math(A & B), in 1958. He then obtained M.A. Mathematics degree in 1958, all from Punjab University. After a gap of 11 years, he obtained a MSc Mathematics degree from Queens University, Canada, in 1969. Finally he completed his PhD Mathematics in 1971, from the same University. His thesis was on Measure Theory.

Distinctions

Prof. Dr. Rashid Ahmad obtained a Roll of Honor from Govt. College Sargodha.

Teaching experience

Dr. Rashid first started teaching in 1958, and continued right up to the year before his death. This accounts for more than half a century of teaching and imparting knowledge to the young generation.

“I've known Dr. Rashid for almost forty years. First as a teacher, and more recently as a colleague. He taught me Abstract Algebra during my Masters, back in 1972." recalls Dr. Akhtar Hussain, a senior Mathematics Professor at CIIT, Pakistan.

“He was a very strict administrator." Dr. Akhtar continues about his experiences with Dr. Rashid, "We used to have forty minute periods back then, and some teachers made it a habit to arrive late and leave early. But Dr. Rashid used to inspect classrooms and keep the teachers in check. The students always used to appreciate this attitude of his.”

His records state his teaching experience (at both private and government institutions) to be more than thirty years, and his administrative experience to be more than twenty years. And his administrative experience has been that of the Principal of various government institutions Punjab over; as well as a period as the chairman of the board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

"I was only able to have him teach me one course." A student of his expressed sadly, "And he carried that one course with a distinctive style. He would begin his lecture the moment he entered the classroom, and continue without pausing for all ninety minutes. He wouldn't pay any heed to the shenanigans of the students in the room, knowing full well that his students understood that if they didn't hang on to his every word, they wouldn't be able to pass his course. And not that his assessment was strict, but because the subject he was teaching was unquestionably hard, and required the utmost understanding."

She continued, overwhlemed by admiration, "I was looking forward to have him teach me again. Because he was one of the rare teachers who reminded me why I want to spend the rest of my life chasing numbers and equations. Because, they may be hard, they may be complicated, they may be downright impossible; but if you work hard enough and long enough at them, you will be able to find that underlying charm and beauty that makes it worth your effort."

Department of Mathematics, CIIT

One of his many contributions to the students of Mathematics Department at CIIT, includes his struggle with regards to the teaching of "Set Theory and Logic" in the 1st semester of BS rather than in 3rd( or even 4th). He thrived hard for this, and eventually, succeeded in bringing this subject down, initially to the 2nd semester and finally to the 1st. He used to argue that if Discrete Mathematics can be taught to the Computer Science students in the very first semester, than why not the Set Theory and Logic course could be taught to the Mathematics undergraduates in their first semester.

Demise

Dr. Rashid died in March 2011, at the age of 76, after a prolonged struggle with cancer. He was being treated in South Africa, where his family resides.