KARACHI: The matriculation results of Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK) have surprised the stakeholders of the education sector as dozens of students across the city secured full marks in the 850-mark examination.
Moreover, thousands of other students secured A grade and B grade in the annual examinations.
Haroon Siddique, whose son bagged 95 per cent marks in the matric exam, still offers sweets to whoever comes to his two-room apartment.
“I did not believe that my son would get these marks, as during the time of pandemic, it [was] hard to continue education,” he told Bol News.
His son Sarmad Haroon, who studied at St Jude’s High School, said, “I studied 18 hours a day and that is how I earned my medal.”
Discussing his future plans, he added that his first goal was to enrol in a medical college, so that upon becoming a doctor he could dedicate himself to serving humankind.
Shaulamete Jamshed, a young energetic girl who studied at St Joseph Convent High School, said: “I earned 83pc marks in matric and I believe in working hard so that I can reach my goal.”
Covid and learning
She added, “I firmly believe I will become a doctor one day. I am thankful to my mentors as without their help, I could not get a chance to be an A-plus grade holder. This (Covid-19) pandemic has destroyed the social fabric of society and my generation lost the chance of conventional-style teaching.”
The online classes had changed the discourse of learning, she further said. “I am grateful to my mentors who always took a stand for me in my pursuit [of] better education under all circumstances,” the school topper commented.
Her father Jamshed Sadiq remarked that struggle was a key factor to attain the target not only for his own children but for students everywhere. “The parents also work hard to see their children succeed. I used to take my daughter every day to school on my motorcycle but never gave up hope. I also live in a three-room apartment in Nazimabad and in my neighbourhood it is hard to find conveyance for my daughter’s school. St Joseph school is at least 17km away from my residence.”
Sharoon Rafiq, who also bagged A-plus grade in the matric exams, also studied at St Jude’s High School. He stated, “I have earned 83pc marks which was not possible without the support of my father Dr Rafiq and his commitment to my academic well-being. I also want to follow in the footsteps of my father who is serving humanity as a doctor.”
According to the BSEK, 156,287 students had registered in the science group out of which 148,950 participated in the examination. Of these, 41,476 students bagged A1 grade, 24,977 secured A grade while 23,754 earned B grade.
Similarly, 23,213 students obtained C grade, 22,444 students got D while 10,204 students managed E grade. A total of 146,677 or 98.4pc of the students passed the exam. At least 20,055 male pupils and 21,421 female students secured A1 grades.
The BSEK results also showed that 79,327, or 53pc male students, and 67,350, or 43pc female students, passed the examination. One candidate bagged 99pc while 25 others secured 98pc marks.
These results were released under the policy of the Inter-Provincial Education Ministers’ Conference (IPEMC) and later under the Examination and Assessment Policy, approved by the Steering Committee of the Sindh Education Department.
Under this policy, out of the first 30 students who obtained A1 grade, one student passed the matriculation examination with 843 marks out of 850, securing 99.17pc.
The topper belonged to Quaid-i-Azam Rangers Secondary School. The other 29 students passed their examinations with 839 marks out of 850 with 98.7pc.