Sitting in cars, SZIA students graduate

UAE envoy tells them to stand up as role model for others

ISLAMABAD: With the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic forcing the government to close educational institutions and halting events where a large number of people are gathered, the Sheikh Zayed International Academy in Islamabad came up with a novel solution to hold a graduation ceremony for its students- letting graduates gather but to remain seated in their cars.

In what appeared to be a scene from the days of drive-in cinemas, where the audience would drive to the theatre in their cars and remain seated while watching the movie, graduates of the academy’s IB-DP2 2019-20 session gathered at the United Arab Emirates embassy in Islamabad.

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“Unprecedented circumstances provide unprecedented opportunities for innovation,” the academy’s principal, Wafaa Abdul Ghaffar, explained the ceremony.

She led a convoy of students of IB-DP2 - clad in graduation gowns, caps, face masks, gloves and face shields - who had gathered in their cars festooned with balloons and banners.

Ghaffar said that to ensure social distancing, students were instructed to remain in their cars. Though they could briefly exit individually to receive their certificates. UAE Ambassador Hamad Obaid Al Zaabi congratulated the ‘SZIA Grads’ and urged them to stand up as a role model for others.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 15^th, 2020.