Dubai: Many Indian schools in the UAE reported a 100 per cent pass rate in the Class 12 CBSE results released on Friday, with some students scoring 99 per cent and higher.
CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) is India’s biggest school board and its Class 12 results weigh heavily on students university prospects.
On Friday, schools in the UAE following the CBSE curriculum announced high scores despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw a new format for the Class 12 exam. This academic year, the exam was split into Term 1 and Term 2 exams – the results on Friday were compiled from both terms.
The UAE-based schools also shared their toppers list. Atharva Tyagi of Asian International School, Al Ruwais, scored 99.4 per cent. Meanwhile Aryan Muraleedharan from The Millennium School Dubai scored 99 per cent, with schoolmate Liam Pimenta scoring 98.8 per cent.
Divyalakshmi Varadha Rajan Prem Sudha, the topper at GEMS Our Own English High School – Dubai, who scored 99.2 per cent, said: “It all feels really surreal to me. I surely could not have asked for more. I’d like to dedicate this success of mine to my school, teachers, mentors and family. Without their moral support and guidance this would not have been possible."
She added: "This year we had a different pattern of exams. My secret strategy, I would say, would be studying the textbook line-by-line, solving papers from previous years, and familiarising myself with the art of solving different types of questions.”
Students’ plans
At the Delhi Private School (DPS) Dubai, Anveeshka Chouhan scored 97.8 percent. She told Gulf News: “I knew I had done well, but never imagined I would top my school.” She plans to enrol in medical school soon.
Meanwhile Mehul Agarwal and Sahil Khan from GEMS Our Own English High School [OOEHS] Sharjah, both achieved 97.2 per cent. Mehul told Gulf News: “Online classes due to the pandemic helped me be more productive each day, since I got more time to focus on my studies. Being a computer science aficionado, I am strongly determined to pursue my further education and career in Artificial Intelligence.”
Sahil said: “My secret to success was never to miss any classes, especially the extra classes where the biggest portion of the syllabus was covered.” Khan intends to take up a bachelor in Life Science course at McMaster University, Canada, and later pursue a medical degree.
Schools support
Punit MK Vasu, CEO of the Indian High Group of Schools, Dubai, said: “To ensure complete preparedness for the exams, students were split into smaller groups, and based on their internal performance, remedial and performance-boosting classes were launched. This was backed by practice papers, which were based on the new assessment pattern.”
Vandana Marwaha, principal and director of DPS Sharjah, said: “This year, the teachers, and students had to invest twice the effort as they prepared for the Board examinations in the new format, consisting of two major exams, especially the MCQ [Multiple Choice Questions] paper [the first by CBSE]. Such remarkable results reflect our students’ adaptability to any given situation.”
She added: “The school specially congratulates and celebrates the results of the students of determination who have done extraordinarily well. All these students have achieved over 85 per cent marks, of which two students scored over 90 per cent.”
Deepika Thapar Singh, CEO-Principal, Credence High School in Dubai, said: "We are absolutely delighted by the amazing result of our first batch of Grade 12 students. This batch of students displayed tremendous resilience, appearing for two-semester exams conducted in new formats and performing exceptionally well."
