Girls lead the way in AKU annual exams

Karachi

The Aga Khan University Examination Board (AKU-EB) on Wednesday announced results of its May 2016 examinations for the Secondary Certificates (SSC) and the Higher Secondary School Certificates (HSSC).

According to the officials, the AKU-EB this year assessed students in 95 subjects across 23 cities in Pakistan. Female students have once again taken top positions both in the SSC and the HSSC.

 “The AKU-EB team congratulates all candidates for their hard work. We strive to develop higher order cognitive skills, such as critical thinking, in our students and firmly believe that assessment is a driving force for new ways of learning,” said AKU-EB Director Dr Shehzad Jeeva.

“We strive to provide access to a qualification of the highest quality to the remotest parts of the country and to marginalised groups, and we are honoured to say that our hard work pays off when our students make us proud through their performance,” he added.

The overall passing rate for the SSC Part-I was 85.5 percent with 46.7 percent of candidates scoring ‘A’ grade and above, while the overall passing rate for the SSC Part-II was 88.8 percent with 55.6 percent of candidates obtaining ‘A’ grade and above.

Alina Fatima from the Al-Murtaza School, Karachi, and Hira Naz from the Aga Khan Higher Secondary School, Kuragh (Chitral, KPK), scored 93.36 percent and they both stood first in the SSC.

Alina also gained the second position in the elective subjects of the science group along with Ali Mehdi from the IBA Community College, Khairpur.

Hira Naz commented that although she was expecting good grades and it was exciting for her to be an AKU-EB position holder from a remote area like Lutkoh, Chitral.

“I am aware that it is a challenge for female students to get good education but I would like to thank my parents for their support and efforts. In the AKU-EB system, we learn how to apply our learning in daily life which makes us confident about our knowledge,” she said.

“I want to become a neurologist. I am also eager to do philanthropic work in under privileged areas of country,” the position holder added.

Meanwhile, Bibi Sultana, principal of the Aga Khan Higher Secondary School in Kuragh, said: “The performance of my student, Hira Naz, has doubled my confidence on my team, students and parents. We highly appreciate the support and coordination from the AKU-EB in every aspect.

She added that the trainings provided by the AKU-EB were of high quality and it prepared teachers for a higher level of teaching and learning.

Dr Inayatullah Faizi, an educationist and writer, shared that the AKU-EB had made wonderful efforts in raising the quality of education and assessment across the country.

“Securing the overall first position in the SSC at the country level is a great achievement by Hira Naz which has made us proud. This is a great milestone achieved by a talented student form the remote area of Lutkoh, Chitral.”

On the other hand, Ruhaina Nadeem from the Nasra School (Malir Campus) secured the second position in the SSC, with scoring 93.18 percent.

Shehla Tanveer from the Maryam Siddiqa Girls Higher Secondary School, Chenab Nagar (Punjab), and Maryam Ihsan from the Nusrat Jahan Academy Girls High School, Chanab Nagar (Pubjab), secured the third position in the SSC, with scoring 92.6 percent.

Maryam also gained first position in the elective subjects of the the science group.

Komal Fatima from the Habib Girls School, Karachi, bagged the first position in elective subjects of the humanities group and also secured the first position in the electives of the SSC science group.

Tasneem Shabbar Zaidi, director of the Al-Murtaza School Network, Karachi, said: “I congratulate the entire AKU-EB team for their efforts in preparing our youth for a better tomorrow. The guidance and professional support provided by them to the teachers across disciplines is promoting a focused and meaningful teaching learning context. I would also like to congratulate the Class of 2016, their parents and teachers on the outstanding performance in AKU-EB’s SSC 2016 Examinations.”  

HSSC position holders 

The first position in the HSSC has been secured by Areej Al Medinah from the Aga Khan Higher Secondary School, Karimabad Karachi.

She did not only achieve the overall first position in HSSC with 91.63 percent but also gained second position in the elective subjects of the pre-engineering group.

Areej Al Medinah expressed that gaining an education as a part of the AKU-EB was a challenge in itself, but never a difficulty.

“With AKU-EB's application, understanding and knowledge scheme discouraging the route system, we have been successfully instilled with the ability to comprehend and tackle real life problems and issues. I am delighted to see female students dominating the positions this year as well,” she said.

“We are definitely well-prepared for the higher education and for the betterment of Pakistan.”

The second position holder in the HSSC, Areeba Muhammad, scored 91.36 percent. She also gained the first position in the elective subjects of the pre-engineering group.

Fatima Muhammad Asad from the Aga Khan Higher Secondary School, Karimabad Karachi, secured the overall third position in the HSSC with a score of 91.27 percent. She also stood third in the pre-medical elective subjects.

The HSSC group-wise position holders for elective subjects include Duaa Ahmed from the Aga Khan Higher Secondary School, Mohammad Ghazanfar Sakrani from the Habib Public School (Commerce), Areeba Altaf from the Habib Girls School (Humanities), Abdul Manan from the Nasir Higher Secondary School, Chenab Nagar (General Science), and Simran Kumari from the Habib Girls School (Pre-Medical).

Aien Shah, head of academics in the Aga Khan Education Service Pakistan, claimed that establishment of the higher secondary schools and introduction of the AKU-EB had set a new milestone.

“The quality of the secondary school graduates from the AKU-EB has been a real source of satisfaction and confidence for communities across Pakistan.”  

This year, the passing rate for the HSSC Part-I is 86.6 percent with 45.1 percent candidates scoring ‘A’ grade and above. The passing rate for the HSSC Part-II is 84.5 percent with 47.5 percent candidates obtaining ‘A’ grade and above.

Dr Naveed Yusuf, associate director assessments at the AKU-EB, said that it was a well-known fact that assessment drove learning.

“The desired goal of education globally is the development of learners’ knowledge and skills to prepare them for the future and make them effective members of their society. Assessment practices introduced by the AKU-EB aims to reframe the current scenario that also contributes to the development of global citizens for Pakistan.”