SWAT: Girl students have outperformed boys in the annual matriculation examination results announced on Sunday by the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Saidu Sharif, Swat.

Kashmala Habib, a student of Al-Zahra Education Institute, Mingora, clinched the top position overall with 1,177 marks out of 1,200, reaffirming the growing trend of girls leading the academic front in the region.

Ms Habib, a resident of Panr, Mingora, surpassed all candidates in both the science and general groups.

The second position was secured by Azlan Ali Shah from Cadet College, Swat, with 1,175 marks. The third position also went to a Cadet College Swat student, Amir Zaib Amir, who scored 1,172 marks.

Girl students also dominated the general group results of grade 10. Saman Bibi from Government Girls High School, Chenglai, topped with 1,043 marks. Sada Gul from Government Girls Higher Secondary School, Barikot, came second with 1,041 marks.

The third position was claimed by Samreen Bibi, a private student from Shangla district, scoring 1,013 marks.

The board statistics reveal that a total of 49,291 students appeared in the 9th-grade examinations. In the science group, 43,985 students participated, of whom 20,664 passed, yielding a pass percentage of 46.89pc. The general group fared significantly lower, with 5,306 students appearing and only 803 passing, marking a 15.13 pass percentage. The overall pass percentage for grade 9 stood at 43.55pc.

In grade 10, a total of 47,728 candidates appeared. The science group had 43,380 students, with 34,376 passing, resulting in a strong pass percentage of 79.24pc.

In the general group, 4,348 students took the exams, out of whom 1,989 passed, making a 45.75pc success rate. The overall pass percentage for grade 10 was 76.19pc.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2025