Girls outshine boys in SSC exam

Nine girls, one boy share top three positions in science and arts groups

ISLAMABAD:

Girls outshone boys in the secondary school certificate-II (SSC-II) annual examination conducted by the Federal Board of Intermediate & Secondary Education (FBISE), with nine of them together sharing the top three positions with a boy in science and arts groups.

The FBISE announced the results of the SSC examinations on Monday, listing an overall pass percentage of 99.85 per cent. Mohammad Sarim Hussain, Rabia Sarfaraz and Zoya Ahmed shared the first position, with three securing 1,098 marks in the science group by scoring 1,098 marks.

They belong to Army Public School and College, Okara Cantt, Fazaia Degree College, Shorkot Cantt, and Headway Escuela Junior and High School, respectively. The second position was shared by Kainat Suleman, Zainab and Asma, who all scored 1,096 marks while Ashba Fatima clinched the third position by securing 1,095 marks.

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In the humanities group, Gulshan Fatima of Fauji Foundation College for Girls, New Lalazar, Rawalpindi Cantonment secured the first position by scoring 1,092 marks. Hafiza Tanzeela Sehar from Federal Government Girls High School No-1, Chaklala, secured the second position by scoring 1,090 marks.

Saleha Nawaz, from the same institution as the first position, secured the third position by securing 1,089 marks. Interestingly, no educational institution in Islamabad under the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) could secure a position in the SCC examination.

According to the FBISE, 111,306 students took part in the matriculation annual examination and of them, 111,306 remained successful. A total of 58,170 boys and 37,070 girls had been enrolled in the science group and 5,186 boys and 11,094 girls in the humanities group.

The success rate of science group regular students was 99.96 per cent while that of private students remained 99.99 per cent. The success rate of regular students in the arts group was 99.96 per cent while that of private students in the same group was 98.86 per cent.

Board officials said that students who have not received result cards can contact the controller of examination through a written letter by October 13. They said the students will be required to pay a fee to get a result card after October 30.

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Addressing the prize distribution ceremony, Federal Secretary for Education and Vocational Training, Farah Hamid Khan said it was a very important day for the students. “I congratulate all the position holders and hope that they will play an important role in the country's development,” she said.

She said that last year was difficult for the education sector as schools oscillated between closure and opening. Farha Hamid said that the federal board had to slash the curriculum for students. She said that the students who did not study were the ones who staged protests against conducting the examination.

The official said that they were under immense pressure for not taking exams, but the government decided to take the exam. She expressed the hope that the exam will be taken next year as well. Farah Hamid said the education sector has dissolved after the 18th amendment; however, they were trying to make Islamabad’s education sector a model for the rest of the country.

The secretary said a lot of misreporting has been done on the single national curriculum, adding that the government never claimed it was a panacea for all problems facing the education sector. She said that it was the first step, and it was unfair to criticize the syllabus without reading it. She said that the SNC will be reviewed every year and the feedback from experts will be included in it