PESHAWAR: Sidratul Muntaha alias Sidra Khan, a resident of Topi tehsil of Swabi district, has got first position by scoring 100 per cent marks in the Management Accounting MA-1 paper in an online examination of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants ( ACCA) .

She has been declared a worldwide topper from Pakistan to have competed among 180 countries of the world by a UK-based university. The online examination is conducted by local British council officials.

Adnan Siddiqui, teacher of Sidra Khan at the Professionals’ Academy of Commerce (PAC), Peshawar, located in University Town told Dawn on Sunday that celebrating the success of their high achievers was always a proud moment. He said that women in finance were a global trend. He said they were so proud that one of their Approved Learning Partners - ALP’s PAC - Peshawar recognised one of their global high achievers Sidratul Muntaha. Sidra got first position in ACCA’s Foundation Diploma paper MA-1 by getting 100 marks.

Sidra Khan told this scribe that she currently studied at Peshawar campus of the Professionals’ Academy of Commerce (PAC) where she recently sat the online examinations conducted under the invigilators hired by the British Council, Peshawar. She said that doing ACCA was not everybody’s cup of tea as it required tremendous hard work and sharpness of mind. “I strongly believe our talented youth can do wonders once they get a proper platform and encouragement from parents,” she observed.

Owais Bilal, principal of PAC, said that Sidra Khan would be provided every support by the academy’s administration throughout her career.

“Frankly speaking, I had worked hard, but was not that confident that I would score 100 per cent because my competition was with thousands of others from 180 countries. It was a computer-based paper that I attempted in the presence of British Council invigilators,” Ms Khan said.

She said that local students often underrated themselves while they had good potential for such global competitions. She said that students from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka also participated in the recent competition. “I was lucky enough to have beaten them all and brought laurels to Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and my institution,” she said.

Ms Khan said that getting first position and a worldwide topper recognition was important, but winning laurels for her country was an added pleasure and a source of pride for her and her family.

She said that it was a golden opportunity for her as worldwide students could appear for Management Accounting paper for qualifying ACCA where after success degrees were being issued to the successful candidates from UK.

“I suggest that young girls and boys should avail of such programmes without any hesitation as it needs hard work and self-confidence,” she said.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2016