ISLAMABAD: Girls made a near-clean sweep by clinching 13 of the top 15 positions in the Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) Examinations 2024 conducted by the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE).

According to results declared by the board at a ceremony at Islamabad College for Girls, F-11/3, 16 girls were among the 20 position holders (some of them sharing the positions) and 14 belonged to various educational institutions in the Potohar region.

A total of 89,261 candidates appeared in the HSSC-II exams which were held in April and May this year, out of which 72,653 were declared successful in all subjects, with a pass percentage standing at 82.58.

The FBISE also declared the results of the HSSC Part I at the ceremony, with the pass percentage calculated at 58.75.

14 position holders belong to Potohar region; FBISE declares results with 82.5pc candidates clearing all subjects

Minister for Education Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui was the chief guest at the ceremony which was attended by the position holders, their parents and teachers as well as heads of the institutions.

FBISE Chairman Junaid Akhlaq presented the salient features of the results through a power point presentation.

According to the results, Aruba Asim of Punjab College of Information Technology (PCIT) for Women, Sargodha, clinched the first position in the pre-medical group by securing 1,065 marks out of 1,100. The second position in the pre-medical group was shared by two students – Tehreem Imran of Army Public School and College, Gujranwala Cantt and Hajra Najeeb of Army Public School and College (APSC), Humayun Road, Rawalpindi Cantt. Both the girls secured 1,054 marks. The third position in the pre-medical group has also been shared by Afia Wajid of APSC, Humayun Road, Rawalpindi Cantt and Aiman Riaz of APC, Tufail Road, Lahore Cantt by obtaining 1,053 marks each.

In the pre-engineering group, the first position was bagged by Huda Ali Murtaza of Hitec School and College for Girls, Taxila Cantt, by obtaining 1,045 marks. The second position in the group was clinched by Abdullah Jawad of Siddeeq Public School and College (SPSC), Madina Town, Islamabad, by securing 1,043 marks. The third position in the group has been shared by Mohammad Haseeb Iqbal of the SPSC, Islamabad, and Zayna Qasim of APS, Fort Road, Rawalpindi Cantt. The two students secured 1,037 marks.

In the general science group, the first position was clinched by Hooria Mubashar Dar of Concordia College, Main G.T. Road, Islamabad, by securing 1,036 marks. Eesha Siddiqui of APS, Fort Road, Rawalpindi, and Aman Aimal of Bahria College, Naval Complex, Islamabad, bagged second and third positions by securing 1,025 and 1,023 marks, respectively.

In the commerce group, the first position was shared by Laiba Noorul Islam of Harvard College of Commerce and Sciences, Peshawar Road, Rawalpindi, and Ewaz Faheem Khan of PCIT, Aabpara, Islamabad. Both of them obtained 971 marks each. The second position in this group has been clinched by Amra Mohamed Azahim of Pakistan Urdu School, Bahrain, with 966 marks whereas the third position was bagged by Faizan Ali of International School of Pakistan, Kuwait, with 961 marks.

In this group, Seerat Fatima of F.G. College for Women, Kashmir Road, Rawalpindi, got the first position by securing 1,003 marks whereas the second and third positions were bagged by Sail Bilal of FG Postgraduate College for Women, Wah Cantt, and Ashmal Noor of PCIT, Aabpara, Islamabad, by getting 1,001 and 980 marks, respectively.

Almost all position holders attributed their success to their parents and the hardwork of their respective teachers.

Huda Ali Murtaza, the first position holder in the pre-engineering group, said she used to study for nine to 14 hours daily. She said her father was also an engineer, but said she had chosen the subject out of her own interest.

On the other hand, Hooria Dar, who stood first in the general science group, said she maintained a balance between her academic and extra-curricular activities, stating that she regularly played badminton and took part in swimming. Moreover, she stated that she was fond of watching Hollywood movies.

Abdullah Jawad of the SPSC said his success was due to the prayers of his parents and hard work of the teachers. He said that he wanted to pursue his career in computer science, stating that he had already gotten admission to Nust.

The board also disclosed the names of the candidates who were caught using ‘unfair means’ in the examinations and the fine imposed on them. According to the data, ‘unfair means cases’ were registered against 42 students - 33 in the HSSC-II exams and nine in the HSSC-I exams.

Speaking at the ceremony, Federal Minister Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said time had come to hand over the reign of the country to the youth. He emphasised the need for allowing women to play their role in the country’s development. Without any context, the minister said the youth population of Pakistan was more than the whole population of Bangladesh - a country where an elected government was overthrown by the students through a movement.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2024