Oman's Pakistan School achieves best results in years

Pakistan School Muscat has produced the best result in recent times in the SSC examination held under the auspices of the Islamabad-based Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, with 73 of its 74 candidates passing.

"This is indeed the best result for years," Professor Irshad Ahmed, principal of the 21-year-old school, told Gulf News yesterday. "Our students have done us proud." He said the school touched rock bottom in 1998, when the pass percentage was below 60. It went up to 84.41 per cent in 1999, when he took over as principal, having served before in the UAE, and climbed further to 94.09 per cent last year. "We are going to make it 100 per cent next year," he predicted.

He lauded the role being played by Iffat Nouman Shah, the first woman head of the board of governors and the first educationist to assume the job in the school's history. "The chairperson has not only re-activated and streamlined the institution, but transformed the atmosphere through her innovative approach."

Wife of Nouman Shah, PIA's country manager in Oman, she took over last year to create a sort of history. No other community school in Oman has a woman heading the management. "The best way to educate children is to motivate them, inspire them," she says, while illustrating her motto as an educationist. "You ought to stir the imagination of budding minds."

Professor Irshad also paid tribute to the competence of the 75-strong staff, which was overhauled recently, and to the parents for their contribution to the outstanding result. "At the end of the day, it has been teamwork which has done the trick."

Professor Irshad, a retired colonel who was the twelfth principal to take over, said the school is affiliated with the University of London for the O Level examination, for which classes started recently.

French was introduced in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades three months ago as an optional subject with the help of Anees Fatima, who holds a Master's degree in the language.

He said girls have monopolised all the first eight positions in the examination, with Sadia Javed topping the list with 767 marks out of 850. Manal Iqbal finished close second with 762 marks, followed by Reem Saad with 752. Sanad Saad stood first among boys with 720 marks.