AKU-EB hosts ceremony for outstanding students 

The Aga Khan University Examination Board on Tuesday organised a ceremony to appreciate the outstanding performances of 162 students in the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) examinations, conducted by the AKU-EB (Aga Khan University Examination Board (AKU-EB) in 2016.

The ceremony held at the Aga Khan University Auditorium, located near Stadium Road. The event was attended by proud parents along with their children, school principals and teachers to appreciate the 162 brilliant students from across the country.

AKU President Firoz Rasul said the AKU-EB was proud of its graduates, many of whom had successfully obtained admissions to renowned national and international universities. “It is heartening to see the impact that the AKU-EB is having on society by being a model of excellence and innovation in education for Pakistan.”  

Female students bagged top positions in the SSC examinations. The first position was mutually secured by Alina Fatima from the Al-Murtaza School, Karachi, and Hira Naz from the Aga Khan Higher Secondary School, Kuragh, Chitral. Ruhaina Nadeem from the Nasra School, Karachi, bagged the second position, while the third position was awarded to Shehla Tanveer from the Maryam Siddiqa Girls’ Higher Secondary School, Chiniot, and Maryam Ihsan from the Nusrat Jehan Academy Girls High School, Chiniot.

Hira Naz, one of the award winning students, said: “An AKU-EB candidate has enough opportunities to demonstrate creativity through innovative ways of learning. I learned how to apply my knowledge in daily life. The high level of accuracy and transparency in the AKU-EB is also a great source of confidence and motivation for candidates.”

Among the HSSC candidates, Areej Al Medinah, from the Aga Khan Higher Secondary School, Karimabad, Karachi, secured the overall first position, while Areeba M Amin from the Habib Girls School, Karachi, stood second. Fatima M Asad Khan from the Aga Khan Higher Secondary School, Karimabad, secured the overall third position.

“With the AKU-EB's application, understanding and knowledge scheme discouraging the rote system, we have successfully been instilled with the ability to comprehend and tackle real life problems and issues,” Areej Al Medinah expressed after receiving her award.

The winners of the AKU-EB Bridge Scholarship were also announced at the ceremony. The merit- and need-based scholarship, funded by the Fancy Foundation, is offered to AKU-EB SSC graduates.  Students will be offered HSSC education for two years at an AKU-EB affiliated school or college in Karachi.

Later, the chief guest, TPL Holdings chairman Jameel Yusuf, recipient of  Sitara-e-Shujaat, said with more than 10 years of experience, the AKU-EB had produced over 30,000 graduates and today these high achievers had also joined the parade by demonstrating their excellent performances.

Yusuf, who is also the president of the ‘I am Karachi’ consortium, said AKU-EB students demonstrated the ability to use critical thinking and problem solving skills to understand ideas and bring them to reality.

AKU-EB Director Dr Shehzad Jeeva said the AKU-EB continued to strive and maintain consistency to attain international benchmarks. “We must stay engaged on our essential role to inspire and develop versatile individuals who can think for themselves form their own opinions and are empowered to take their place in leadership roles.”