UAE students excel in exams

UAE students excel in exams
Anna Seaman THE NATIONAL
http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090523/NATIONAL/705229773/1010

Last Updated: May 22. 2009 11:31PM UAE / May 22. 2009 7:31PM GMT
Sai Prashanthi, the top science pupil at the Abu Dhabi Indian School, could hardly sleep the night before grades were released. Rich Joseph Facun / The National
ABU DHABI // As scores on the Indian education system’s Grade 10 and Grade 12 exams crept modestly upwards, some pupils in the UAE pushed themselves to the top of the class.

More than 93 per cent of exam-takers in GCC schools passed, and seven per cent more girls passed than did boys. Overall, the scores were half a percentage point higher than those from last year, officials said.

But for children such as Cutee Bhalla and Rizwan Rehmatullah of Our Own English High School in Sharjah, the results meant a little more.

Cutee, with an aggregate score of 95.8 per cent, is the top performer in the entire UAE, officials say, although it will not be announced until later this week.

And Rizwan earned the best score on the commerce section for boys with an 88.4 per cent – despite having to take his disabled father to the hospital every day throughout the exam period.

“We have some students who have been with us since kindergarten, and to see them get such exceptionally good results makes us very pleased,” said Farooq Wasil, executive principal for Sharjah and director of Asian schools for Global Education Management Systems.

According to the controller of examinations in Delhi, marks have gone up across the entire Central Board of Secondary Education examination system, rising to an 81 per cent passing rate from 80.91 per cent last year.

Dr Wasil said: “The average results have taken a jump, and compared to previous years, there is an upwards trend. We must pay special credit to those who have undergone difficult circumstances and have stayed focused to get good results.”

At the Abu Dhabi Indian School, all the students passed their Grade 12 exams.

Vijay Mathu, the school’s principal, said the results were excellent in both quality and quantity. “More than 28 pupils got over 90 per cent,” he said. “And everyone passed. All their hard work has paid off.”

Sai Prashanthi came in on top of the science division with a score of 93 per cent. “I could hardly sleep last night thinking about the results coming in. When I saw I was top, I couldn’t believe it. It’s amazing,” she said.

Sai, who wants to study engineering at Anna University in Chennai, said she would celebrate by going out with her family.

In Al Ain, Sreys Palliyani, who received the highest grades across all schools in the city for his Grade 10 exams two years ago, was again the top student. But he said he had hoped for more, despite his 92.4 per cent overall mark.

“Of course I am happy to have come top in my school, but I would have liked my marks to have been a little higher.”