AKU-EB Recognised SSC And HSSC High Achievers Of 2014

The Aga Khan University Examination Board hosted its annual High Achievers Awards ceremony at the Aga Khan University today, recognising the outstanding students who took the 2014 Secondary School Certificate and Higher Secondary School Certificate examinations.

The Board recognised 185 high achievers from 21 cities across Pakistan including Karachi, Hyderabad, Larkana, Sukkur, Daharki, Naushero Feroz, Khairpur, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Gilgit-Baltistan, Skardu and Chitral.

"Every single student is unique. AKU-EB has helped us recognise our uniqueness and cultivate it to attain success in life," said one of the award recipients.The distinctions were awarded to those who achieved the highest marks in any of the subjects or in any of the subject groups offered in SSC and HSSC exams.  The top three position holders in both qualifications also received cash prizes.

Among the top SSC candidates were Hiba Khalid (1st) of P.E.C.H.S Girls' School, Karachi, Maliha Ahmed Eesha (2nd) of Nusrat Jehan Academy Girls High School, Chenab Nagar and Syeda Kanza Kazmi (3rd) of Al-Murtaza School (Girls) Karachi.

The top HSSC candidates were Afshan Hussain (1st) of Habib Girls Higher Secondary School, Karachi, Sadori (2nd) and Sadaf Batool Rizvi (3rd) of Aga Khan Higher Secondary School, Karachi.

The Award Ceremony this year also marked an important milestone: the announcement of the first 10 awardees of the AKU-EB Bridge Scholarship. The merit cum needs-based Scholarship funds two years of HSSC education at an AKU-EB affiliated school or college and is offered to AKU-EB SSC graduates.

"For me, it's a double celebration today, for my awards and for the scholarship," said Muhammad Ghazanfar Sakrani of BVS Parsi School, Karachi who stood first in the Humanities Group, received a distinction in Economics and is also among the 10 students selected for AKU-EB Bridge Scholarship. "It's a good step to encourage candidates who have the potential but don't have the means."

When asked about what helped him achieve this success, he said, "AKU-EB syllabuses define cognitive levels for every topic which makes it easier to study. Then, conceptual understanding and application of concepts tells us where we really stand. So anyone who self-studies regularly can surely get the reward of their hard work with this Board."

It was also a time to celebrate the accomplishments of the first batch of HSSC alumni who have successfully stepped into the professional world, securing jobs with leading companies across Pakistan and abroad.

While connecting the development of Pakistan with quality education that prepares skilled and thinking minds, Mr Firoz Raul, President, Aga Khan University said, "We welcome our alumni into the world of work – the young university graduates who have obtained jobs at leading companies and are equipped to help improve the state of development in the country."

Speaking about his success, Syed Akber Ali Shah, an AKU-EB alumnus, who is currently working as a consultant with a multinational company after graduating from Lahore University of Management Sciences said, "I am passionate about policy planning and implementing projects in Pakistan geared towards education and health. At my company, I am working on improving maternal and child health care mechanisms in the Punjab and generating impact through improved service delivery."

President Rasul also mentioned that through the years, AKU-EB's HSSC graduates have earned admissions to around 230 universities in Pakistan and almost 60 institutions abroad, and the numbers keep growing. Approximately 82 per cent of its HSSC graduates of 2013 (out of a sample of 1,100 surveyed) gained admissions to universities across Pakistan and abroad.

Hiba Khalid, the overall first position holder in SSC, thinks that education in today's world is all about grasping the concepts and their application in daily life so rote learning for the sake of marks will not lead the students anywhere worthwhile.

"I owe this milestone to Allah, my teachers and family who helped out at every step," she said. "AKU-EB focuses on converting students into tomorrow's leaders which is why its curriculum is not confined to just text books. It is rather spread over various educational sources. I also appreciated the atmosphere of exam centres where complete transparency was exercised," she added while sharing her experience with the Board.

"I feel like on top of the world. I have already gotten admission at Dow Medical College which is a dual celebration for me and my family. I topped in the entry test, too,"  said Sadaf Batool Rizvi, the overall third position holder in HSSC, also third in SSC examinations of 2013.

"I am so happy to have maintained my position in both the qualifications. I am grateful that I got the reward for my hard work. It is the conceptual learning that makes us AKU-EB students stand out among the rest. I can't wait to become a cardiologist."

Complete list of position holders, AKU-EB Bridge Scholarship Awardees, as well as detailed stories of alumni who have stepped into the world of work will be available on AKU-EB's website soon.