Wednesday brought good news for 62 per cent of the candidates who sat for the Matric general group 2010 exams. Controller Matric Board Kalim Izhar Kirmani announced the results in the board office on Wednesday.
Tooba Wasim from Mama Parsi School topped the board with an impressive 90.18 per cent, while Noorul Ain from the Nasra Secondary School and KMC Secondary School’s Asma Altaf were tied for second position with 88.24 per cent. Mehreen Saleem, of the DMS School, was right on their heels with 88.12 per cent, achieving third position in the board.
According to the announcement, 30,378 candidates registered for the exams while 29,953 candidates actually took the exam and 18,751 managed to pass, bringing the passing percentage to 62.6. A ceremony was held the same day to honour the position holders by the Board of Secondary Education Karachi. The event was attended by students, parents and principals.
The first position holder, Tooba, passed on the credit to her teachers, saying that it was their effort that had helped her top the board. However, she maintained that the education system was less than perfect and required improvement.
Seventeen-year-old Mehreen from Delhi Mercantile Society said that she had studied the entire year. “I don’t just start studying when the exams are near, I work all year,” she said, adding that it took quite a lot of effort to get a position. Although Mehreen has not quite decided in which direction her future lies, she wants to pursue Arts. Studying clothing and food and nutrition right now, Mehreen is sure that she wants to study further.
Many of the students at the ceremony complained of prolonged power outages, which greatly hindered their studying.
“The light would go out so often, it even went while we were taking the exams!” Noorul Ain said.
The chairman of the secondary board, Anzar Hussain Zaidi, said that the results have been announced earlier this year as compared to the previous years. The education system is also improving, he said. “The board is trying its best, more methods will be introduced in the future,” he said.
According to the chairman, it is very important to ensure that Matric board examinations are carried out in a fair manner. “This is the first time children are exposed to the education system properly, and if they encounter corruption here it will leave a lasting impression on them,” he said.
Zaidi said that this year the board managed a 100 per cent codification.
This process helps in keeping students’ identities a secret so that results cannot be altered on the basis of resources or influence. Last year, the procedure was to only codify the roll numbers of students who achieved a percentage greater than 60 in their ninth grade exams.
“The passing percentage is also a little better,” he commented, recalling that last year the percentage had been around 60.
As to why private school students always secured top positions, Zaidi said that parents of students in private institutions took greater interest in their children’s progress.
“I don’t know why teachers in government schools don’t attend classes and pay much attention to the students,” he said, “Their salaries are pretty good too.”
The way to bring government schools at par with their private counterparts is to focus on teachers’ training. “The teachers must understand that they cannot play with the country’s future,” he said, adding that they ought to focus on understanding concepts rather than rote learning. They should help students realise the practical implications of their education.
With the same mindset and determination that the board is following currently, the system will improve further, Zaidi hoped.
With additional reporting by Aisha Iqbal
Published in The Express Tribune, July 1st, 2010.
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