ISLAMABAD, March 18: British High Commissioner Hillary Synnott has said that in the next two to three years, the British Council will reconfigure its libraries to support distance learning.
There was a strong demand for educational products and services which were now available on the internet, he added.
The high commissioner was speaking at a function held to give away awards to those Pakistani students, who excelled in the O and A-levels Cambridge International and Edexcel International London examinations held in 2000-01, at the British Council.
Mr Synnott said funding was available for UK teachers and head-teachers of primary, secondary, special schools and colleges to undertake short visits to a partner school in Pakistan and set up a curriculum-based partnership or develop an existing link.
He said a wide range of activities would be organized as a result of the partnerships, which include exchanges of project work, correspondence and visits.
“We are in the midst of a learning revolution, which is no longer restricted to classrooms and lecture halls,” Mr Synnott said.
The British Council, he said, ran a range of educational programmes in Pakistan. It manages and funds 15 higher education links and 25 school links between the British and Pakistani educational institutions. He said 97,000 British exams would be taken during 2002-03.
A large number of students, parents and teachers were also present on the occasion.
Ahmed Najeh Tanvir of the Beaconhouse School, who appeared in the Cambridge International Examinations (GIE), topped in the world in Biology.
Similarly, Zoheb Khalid, a private student, topped in the Edexcel International London examinations O-level in Economics; Hasan Khan of the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation College for Boys Islamabad, in Biology; Mohammad Sohaib Alam of Froebels International School Rawalpindi, in Physics; and Mohammad Abrar Abro of the OPF College for Boys Islamabad, topped in Islamiyat.
Ahmed Najeh Tanvir, while talking to Dawn, said the main difference between O-level GCE examination system and the ordinary education system was that the former was not based on rote learning, rather it emphasized on concepts. Whereas in the ordinary system, one cannot get high marks unless he/she fills pages after pages without clearing his concepts, he added.
Anam Waqar of the Roots Montessori and High School Rawalpindi, who scored highest marks in the CIE A-level in Business Management, said she felt elated and was “thankful to Allah Almighty, her parents and teachers for their guidance.”
Mohammad Sohaib Alam said students should work hard and have complete faith in themselves.
The students, who appeared for the CIE and scored highest marks in Islamabad, were Saad Farooq Usmani of Headstart School Islamabad, O-level; Talha Waqar of Saint Mary’s Academy Rawalpindi, O-level; and Altamash Janjua of St Mary’s Academy Rawalpindi, A level.
The CIE candidates who received awards for excellence in O- level subjects are Mohammad Kiani, Beaconhouse School Rawalpindi, Additional Mathematics; Risham Saifullah, Fountainhead School Islamabad, Art and Design; Saba Aurangzeb, St Denny’s High School Murree, Bible Knowledge; Sohana Naqib Rehman, the City School Rawalpindi, Commerce; Ahmed Humayun, the City School Islamabad, Computer Studies; Babar Ali Khan, St Mary’s Academy Rawalpindi, Economics; Roha Khalid, Beaconhouse School Islamabad, English Language; Meena Daud, Convent of Jesus and Mary Murree, Human and Social Biology; Afsheen Sehar, Army Public School and College Rawalpindi, Islamiyat; Nauman Shah, St Mary’s Academy Rawalpindi, Mathematics; Mohammad Uzair Khan, St Mary’s Academy Rawalpindi, Pakistan Studies; Ahmed Najeh Tanvir, Beaconhouse School Islamabad, Physics; Talah Waqar, St Mary’s Academy Rawalpindi, Principles of Accounts; Jibran Bari Khan, St Mary’s Academy Rawalpindi, Urdu A; and Fahad Waqas, St Mary’s Academy Rawalpindi, Urdu B.
The CIE candidates of Rawalpindi-Islamabad, who received awards in AO/AS levels, are Amna Basharat, Beaconhouse School Islamabad, General Paper; Rana Shoaib Mehmood, St Mary’s Academy Rawalpindi, Mathematics; and Mohammad Nausherwan Khan, St Mary’s Academy, Rawalpindi, Physics.
The CIE candidates of the Islamabad region in A level are Mirza Mohammad Ali Baig, Islamabad School of Arts and Sciences, Accounting; Sana Arjumand, Alta Vista College, Islamabad, Art and Design; Syed Samar Abbas, Beaconhouse School, Islamabad, Chemistry; Wajiha Javed, Beaconhouse School Islamabad, Chemistry; Nehdia Sameen, Alta Vista College Islamabad, Computing; Altamash Janjua, St Mary’s Academy Rawalpindi, Economics; Fahad Hassan Khan, the British Council Peshawar, Further Mathematics; Amna Basharat, Beaconhouse School Islamabad, Mathematics; Zarak Khan Khattak, Institute of Learning and Motivation Peshawar, Physics; Sana Arjumand, Alta Vista College Islamabad, Sociology; and Atif Ahmed Mirza, The British Council Islamabad, Urdu.
The best Edexcel O-level candidate in Islamabad region was Hasan Khan, OPF College for Boys Islamabad. Best results in Edexcel O-level subjects in Islamabad region were obtained by Mariam Arif Yaqub, private candidate, Accounting; Zoheb Khalid, private candidate, Economics; Ali Raza Syed, private candidate, Urdu; Hassan Khan, OPF College for Boys Islamabad, Chemistry; Shezaf Nasir, OPF College for Girls Islamabad, English Language; Usman Azam, Froebels International School Islamabad, Maths B and Hareem Rehman, OPF College for Girls Islamabad, Computing.
Best A level candidates Islamabad region were Adnan Azam, Froebels International School Islamabad, Accounting; Ayesha Farhat, Froebels International School Islamabad, Chemistry; Alessandra Sadaf Ahson, OPF College for Girls Islamabad, Economics; Sobia Nazeer Ahmad, University College of Islamabad, Law; Ayesha Farhat, Froebels International School, Maths and Physics and Ali Hussain, Islamabad College of Arts and Sciences, Urdu.
Candidates with seven or more ‘A’ grades in Edexcel International London Exams Islamabad region were Anam Abbas, OPF College for Girls Islamabad, Saman Shahid, OPF College for Girls Islamabad, Ayesha Khan, OPF College for Girls Islamabad, Omer Kamal Aijazi, Froebels International School Islamabad, Mohammad Zohaib Baig, Froebels International School Islamabad, Luqman Alvi, Froebels International School Islamabad, Sarah Zaheer Malick, Froebels International School Islamabad, Usman Azam, Froebels International School Islamabad, Shahzad Raza, Froebels International School Islamabad, Haad Ahmed, Froebels International School Islamabad, Hamood Zafir Arham, Cadet College Hassanabdal, Bilal Ahmad Ranjha, Cadet College Hassanabdal, Mohammad Usman Khan, Cadet College Hassanabdal, Nauman Fazal Manzoor, Cadet College Hassanabdal and Hassan Khan, OPF College for Boys Islamabad.
The director, British Council, Peter Ellwood; Regional Officer, Edexcel International London Examinations, Casper Bartington; and the director, South Asia and Mauritius Cambridge International examinations, Dr Fred Burke; and the director, examinations, Pakistan, William Bickerdike, also spoke on the occasion.