Sardar Shah to cover future academic expenses of SSC topper

Sindh’s education minister on Sunday announced covering all future academic expenses of Hafiz Abdul Rafay Tariq, a public school student in Karachi, until he completes his higher education. Tariq achieved the top position in the matriculation annual examinations. Syed Sardar Ali Shah also announced a cash prize of Rs200,000 for the student.

Shah made these announcements as the chief guest at a ceremony that was held to honour the position holders in the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) annual exams. The event was organised by the Delhi School Old Boys Association (DSOBA).

The minister also announced a cash prize of Rs150,000 for Rumaissa Imran, who secured the second place, and Rs100,000 for Rukhsar Soomro, who achieved the third position in the exams.

The DSOBA on this occasion presented a cheque of Rs350,000 to the first position holder, and cheques of Rs25,000 each to the second and third position holders.

Shah remarked that it was a promising sign that a student from a government school had secured the first position in the matriculation exams in Karachi after a gap of 28 years.

He noted that students from low- and middle-income groups had demonstrated that they could achieve academic excellence without any extra privileges. He expressed pride in the parents who worked hard to ensure their children received quality education.

He said that the positive developments in the education sector gave him a sense of satisfaction that he was on track to fulfil his commitment to his party (the Pakistan Peoples Party) to improve the public school system in the province.

He recalled informing party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari that he would enrol his daughter in a government school soon after he first assumed the role of provincial education minister. He emphasised that taking ownership of public schools in Sindh was one of his top priorities.

He highlighted that renowned educational institutions in the province, including Sindh Madressatul Islam, Noor Muhammad High School, DJ Science College, NED University, and Dow University, were established by dedicated individuals devoted to education over the centuries, and that these institutions continue to thrive.

He praised the alumni of these schools for their commitment to supporting their alma maters. However, he lamented that parents had to pay high fees for their children’s education, despite the constitution guaranteeing free education for all citizens.

He expressed his happiness that opposition lawmakers in the Sindh Assembly had come forward to adopt government schools in their respective constituencies in Karachi after he made a request to the concerned MPAs.

He announced his support for private schools that care for both students and their parents, acknowledging the economic exploitation faced by parents at the hands of some private institutions.

He said the education departments of the federal and provincial governments should not act as employment exchanges to grant jobs to the maximum number of candidates but should focus on their primary objective of educating children.

He lamented that up to 92 per cent of the financial resources available to the education department were spent on salaries and pensions for staff.

Metropolitan University Vice Chancellor Dr Waseem Qazi suggested that online education platforms be launched to assist students from both urban and rural areas in their academic pursuits.

He emphasised the need to restore parents’ trust in government-run schools, and praised the father of the first position holder in the SSC exams for being a teacher.