Girls shine in AKU-EB exams for SSC, HSSC

The Aga Khan University Examination Board (AKU-EB) on Thursday declared the results of Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary School Certificate’s (HSSC) annual examinations 2017, with girls clinching the top positions.

SSC exam results According to the AKU-EB gazette, the overall pass percentage for IX and X classes (SSC part-I and II) was 85.7 per cent and 90.6 per cent, respectively. As many as 69.4 per cent of Class IX students and 81.2 percent of Class X students scored at or above 60 per cent across all of their examinations.

The gazette shows that high achievers of Class X were all female candidates, with first position going to Fizza Rubab of the PECHS Girls’ School. Fizza attained an impressive 1,037 out of 1,100 marks, a total of 94.27 per cent, across all her exams, and bagged the A-1 grade.

She commented that this came as a huge surprise to her. “I am immensely grateful to my school, teachers, friends and family for their support, encouragement and prayers throughout the year. The style of AKU-EB made it possible to achieve this position. Under this marvellous board, we are focused and precise unlike the style of conventional study practised in Pakistan.”

Samreen Raja of the Nusrat Jehan Academy Girls High School secured second position and obtained 1,029 out of 1,100 marks, or 93.54 per cent of the total marks. Shamsa from the Aga Khan School, Garden, Karachi, attained 1,027 out of 1,100 marks at 93.36 per cent and was placed third.

HSSCAs per the gazette, the overall pass percentage for XI and XII classes (HSSC Part-I and Part-II), was 87.9 per cent and 87.8 per cent, respectively. Moreover, 72.7 per cent of Class XI candidates and 75.2 per cent of Class XII candidates scored 60 percent or above across all of their examinations.

Like the SSC results, in the HSSC exams too, female candidates clinched all top three positions. Mariam Sajjad from the Aga Khan Higher Secondary School, Karimabad, Karachi, obtained first position by scoring 1,050 out of 1,100 total marks (95.45 per cent) across her HSSC examinations.

“I feel on top of the world. I can’t express my feelings in words; it feels great to see your hard work pay off. Studying with AKU-EB infused a sense of curiosity and a thirst for knowledge, which helped broaden my horizons. My advice to current and future AKU-EB students is that even if the path seems tough, don’t stop because once you reach your destination, you will realise that all the hard work was totally worth it.”

Urooj Usmani, also from the Aga Khan Higher Secondary School, Karimabad, Karachi, scored 1,028 out of 1,100, and 93.45 per cent, which earned her second place. Nusrat Jahan College’s Muqaddas Alvi came third in the national average by obtaining 1,022 out of 1,100 marks (92.90 per cent of the total marks).

Shahina Aliraza, principal of the Aga Khan Higher Secondary School, Karimabad, commented on the results: “Feeling delightful and ecstatic on our students’ remarkable achievement both first and second position in Pakistan. AKU-EB students, as compared to other Boards, are more confident and critically conscious. They are the kind of learners who always strive to reach and explore their potential.”

AKU-EB Director Dr Shehzad Jeeva noted, “AKU-EB students consistently perform better in university entrance tests, as demonstrated by the fact that 90 per cent of our 2015 HSSC graduates received admission to various universities. This is also reaffirmed by a recent study conducted by a national body on examination quality and standardisation, which found that students from AKU-EB are more likely to perform better on UETs as compared to other examination boards.”

The associate director of assessment of the AKU-EB, Dr Naveed Yousuf, said: “My heartiest congratulations to the successful students of AKU-EB. I am sure their strong educational foundation will lead them to greater successes in life. It is only through perseverance and determination that they can achieve their goals.”

The AKU-EB official added that despite being a relatively young institution, the Aga Khan University Examination Board had repeatedly proved that its students were capable of attaining success by virtue of the quality education that they received during their secondary school education.

“While our annual results and internal student accomplishments have always been a source of pride for us, this year’s May 2017 results for both our SSC and HSSC examinations are also accompanied by a sense of both vindication and triumph due to the positive validation that AKU-EB has attained from external sources. We are therefore pleased to announce that this year’s examination results have reaffirmed how talented our students are.”