KARACHI: As many as 8,703 students passed their secondary school certificate science annual exams with the ‘A-1’ grade while 22,441 got the ‘A’ grade when the Board of Secondary Edu­cation Karachi announced the results here on Friday.

Marva Tanveer of Usman Public School topped with 796 marks and a percentage of 93.65. Mahnoor Rehman, one of the two students who stood second with 789 marks and a 92.82 percentage, also comes from the same school. The second position was shared with her by Muhammad Anas Ghani of Metropolitan Academy No.1 while Saad Khalid of Kulsoom Bai Valika CAA Model School & College JIAP Karachi obtained 785 marks with a percentage of 92.35.

Marva Tanveer said she would take up pre-medical in intermediate now because it was her late father’s wish that she become a doctor.

Marva also said that she didn’t study all the time. “I only started studying six hours a day close to the exams,” she said while adding that she was lucky to be studying in a private school. “I feel private schools prove to be good learning bases but a college should be a government college as their education is far better than the private colleges we have here,” she said.

Her mother, Rafat Tanveer, said that her daughter was a very hard-working girl who helped her in housework. “I often saw my daughter with a book in one hand and a duster in the other. She also gives tuitions to class seven, eight and nine students to earn some pocket money,” she said.

Mahnoor Rehman, who also went to the same school as Marva and who shared the second position with another, first said she was interested in agriculture science but after exchanging notes with her peers changed her mind to announce that she, too, wanted to get into pre-medicine. “I am also interested in psychology,” she said. About her exam preparation, she said she was lucky to have good teachers who took pains to explain her lessons to her and encouraged her. “But due to the regular strikes and city disturbances I was always afraid that the paper would be postponed or something,” she said.

Anas Ghani, who also stood second, said he wanted to get into pre-engineering at a government college while Saad Khalid, who was third, said he also wanted to be a doctor. But Saad was also of the opinion that one should not ruin one’s life in studies. “There are extracurricular activities, too,” he said.

General group results

The BSEK also announced the general group results. Hafiza Asna Siddiqui got the A-1 position with 784 marks and a 92.24 percentage. Hafiza Lababa Mustaqeem scored 780 marks and a 91.76 percentage to come second and Hafiza Haniya Waqas got 766 marks and 90.12 percentage. All three girls belonged to Iqra Haffaz Girls Secondary School.

The names of merit position holders for SSC deaf examination are Muhammad Ahmad Khan (737 marks) of Dewa School for the Deaf, Beenish (729 marks) of Absa School for the Deaf and Irtesam Babar Khan (720 marks) of Dewa School for the Deaf.

All three students were not present at the announcement of results. Sara Rashid, younger sister of the top student in the deaf students’ category, Muhammad Ahmad Khan, while receiving her brother’s prize said he was in Etikaf.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2014