Convocation ceremony: Khaldunia recognises academic, extracurricular stars

O-levels students of past two years awarded certificates and trophies.

ISLAMABAD:

The auditorium buzzed with palpable energy. Clad in colourful costumes and brandishing lively props, cheerful toddlers could hardly wait to shine in the limelight while three rows of the graduating classes sat with poise, donning black tuxedos and flowing dresses.

Scores of parents beamed with pride at the 13th convocation of Khaldunia High School, held at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts on Tuesday evening.

Dawar Aziz Ahmad, who was among the high school graduates, got 10 straight A’s in his Ordinary Level Cambridge examinations last year, for which he was awarded the Eqbal Ahmed Award for Excellence in Education and the Omar Asghar Award for Best Student of the Year.

“I’m very happy that we have such schools in Pakistan. The students gain confidence and are not just good citizens of the country but grow up to become good citizens of the world,” Fauzia Minallah, documentary filmmaker and rights activist, told The Express Tribune.

The best thing about the school, she pointed out, is that it imparts wholesome education with a focus on not just the syllabus but also character-building. “They actually make the learning process fun, without putting pressure on the student.”

The graduating classes of the O-levels’ sessions of the past two years were awarded certificates and trophies at the event. The juniors were also awarded certificates and trophies for academic and extracurricular activities including a science fair, salad and sandwich competition, spelling bee, poetry recitals and debates and declamations.

A plethora of lively performances coloured the evening. While the primary schoolchildren stole the show with their cute costumes and antics, a choir of teenage girls performed John Lennon’s “Imagine” with finesse.

The sixth and seventh graders took the audience by surprise with the performance of “Thunderstorm”, emulating the sounds of nature and recreating thunder claps, bolts and pelting raindrops with their synchronised gestures.

Then came the spontaneous dance performances on the upbeat “Bijli Aaaye Ya Na Aye” by a large of group of students representing various strata of society.

The renditions of lyricist Javed Akhar’s poem “Waqt” and riveting scenes from the musical, “The Sound of Music” were a soulful treat for literature and theatre buffs. Some students performed the poem “We Interrupt This War” hitting home with the humbling message of peace and love.

The Tansen Music Club rendered the wildly-popular “Khamaj” with Dr Taimur Khan on the sarangi. Khan also rendered a solo performance of Raag Darbari.

In the inaugural speech, Farukh Paracha, the school principal, said “The last two years have been eventful to say the least. They have touched us, inspired us and taught us. We set standards and goals for ourselves and strived to achieve them in the areas of academics, events, leadership, discipline and management to name a few.” She added that the school promotes innovative and out-of-the-box thinking, while teaching students to act responsibly.

South Asian Free Media Association Secretary General Imtiaz Alam, who was the keynote speaker, encouraged students to question and contest everything they were being taught, adding that there were no absolute truths. “There is more to education than just grades, it is a part of your personality, your knowledge and understanding and should serve your time well,” he added. Criticising the education system of public institutions, he said that people, including himself, struggle to unlearn the adopted concepts and practices all their lives. He emphasised on introducing the subject of child rights to the curriculum to spread awareness about the lives of children in marginalised communities. “You are lucky to be studying in an institution like Khaldunia,” he said, adding that “Things are becoming increasingly difficult in this country, saying ‘I am Malala’ is tantamount to a crime. Malala is the girl who fought for education under dire circumstances and we need the same spirit in every child to move towards a progressive society.”

He shared the history of the institution when the late intellectual and sociologist Eqbal Ahmed had discussed with them the idea of setting up an institution to fill a centuries-old gap in education.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 7^th, 2013.