KARACHI: The Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK) announced the results for Secondary School Certificate (SSC) Part II annual examinations for Science Group, General Group and deaf and mute candidates in the auditorium of the Pakistan Central Homeopathic Medical College here on Thursday.

The girl students outshined boys by clinching almost all top positions in the three groups.

It should have been a time to celebrate the students as the chief guest on the occasion — Universities and Boards Secretary Noor Ahmed Samoo — so rightly put it that “the focus of all their academic efforts was the students”. But the ceremony started off, that also after a delay of over one hour, with the BSEK officials and guests exchanging shields and ajraks among themselves while the position holders were made to wait backstage.

It was also unfortunate to hear BSEK chairman Dr Syed Sharaf Ali Shah calling the deaf and mute students by the long-discarded offending phrase of ‘deaf and dumb’. There was no one in the auditorium who looked more ignorant than the respected board chairman while repeating the word ‘dumb’, again and again.

Programme wrapped up abruptly at the expense of position holders

Beginning with the deaf and mute students, as they have already been insulted enough at the ceremony, all the toppers hailed from

Dewa Academy for the Deaf. Muhammad Sohaib stood first with 967 marks out of a total of 1,100 with Bareera Islam coming second, with 963 marks and Maham Kashif third with 949 marks. The overall passing percentage was 99.12.

In the Science Group, the top two position holders were girls. Shaheera Fatima of Metropolis School for Girls stood first with 1,044 marks out of a total of 1,100, Rabisa Ali of Falcon House Grammar School was second with 1,035 marks and Muhammad Umar Iqbal third with 1,031 marks. The overall passing percentage was 86.30.

In the General Group (regular and private), only girls bagged the top three positions. Zaitoon Imran Ahmed of Citizen’s Secondary School (Girls Campus) stood first with 962 marks out of a total of 1,100. Syeda Khizraa Amir of Iqra Haffaz Girls Secondary School was second with 959 marks while Nashra Asif was third with 947 marks. The overall passing percentage added up to 51.62.

Earlier, in his welcome address, the BSEK chairman admitted that they were announcing the results late. But, he said, it was due to the Sindh government not cooperating with them. “Government teaches don’t come forward for assessment work,” he said, adding he had the private sector and the board staff to thank for everything.

Secretary Samoo congratulated the students, their parents and teachers, who have a huge role in their character building and learning.

Both the BSEK chairman and the universities and boards secretary then wrapped up the programme as they said they needed to be

somewhere else. They did not take any questions. They did not even open the microphone for the position holders so that they can speak to the media as is normal practice during such ceremonies.

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2023