Despite continuous attacks on girls’ schools and universities, female students in the capital city outperformed male students as they grabbed the top three positions in the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Peshawar, which was announced here on Tuesday.
A total of 119,231 students appeared in the matriculation examinations, 79.45 per cent of whom passed.
The six students, who scored top positions in science and humanities, remained the centre of focus on television channels and photo cameras during the prize distribution ceremony, as they were seated in the middle of the sitting area reserved for the chief guest and parents.
Navishta Sahar Arif and Misha Ali of the Frontier Youth Academy secured first position in science group with 966 marks, followed by Ayesha Javed of the same institution, who scored 962 marks. The third position in science was obtained by Nayab Motasim from Peshawar Model Girls High School.
Similarly, Qania Obaid from Qurtuba Public School achieved first position in arts group with 870 marks, followed by Kashmala Shafiq, who scored 850 marks. Sidratul Muntaha from Forward Public School scored third position in arts with 847 marks.
Talking to The Express Tribune, Misha Ali expressed delightfulness over her performance with tears rolling down her face. She said her excellent performance was a result of extreme hard work which could not have been possible without her teachers’ and parents’ prayers. “I always wanted my parents to feel proud of me. Today I can see they are more delighted than me,” she added.
Navishta Sahar was also all smiles at the occasion. “I can’t believe I have topped the board. I worked really hard and spent all nights studying for the exams. My parents are proud of me and I am equally proud of them for helping me out at every step of my life.”
Speaking on the occasion, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Education Sardar Hussain Babak said educational institutions are being continuously targeted but these girls have shown that they are not afraid of anything.
He encouraged the students to pursue further education and said the militants who consider themselves the messengers of Islam are the biggest enemies of religion. He called upon the philanthropists to come forward and build educational institutions in the province.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 16th, 2011.
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