Dubai: UAE schools on Wednesday reported a 100 per cent pass rate and near-perfect student results in the grade 10 exams conducted by India’s Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE).
This year, more than 1.8 million students – mostly in India, as well as other countries including the UAE – took the board exam, a gateway to senior secondary school (grades 11 and 12).
An estimated 9,500 grade 10 students were enrolled in some 78 CBSE-affiliated schools in the UAE for the last academic year.
School toppers
Aryan Muralidharan from The Millennium School, Dubai scored 99.6 per cent. He told Gulf News there was no secret or short-cut to getting top marks.
“I used to catch up with the syllabus every day, not wait till the end. You have to focus and put in a lot of effort, and leave the rest up to God. Also, you need to utilise you time so you can revise,” Aryan said, thanking his parents and teachers.
When he graduates from high school, Aryan wants to study engineering back home in India.
‘Extremely happy’
Meanwhile, Delhi Private School (DPS) Dubai said its topper was Nitin Kumar Ramachandran, who scored 98.8 per cent.
Nitin said, “I am extremely happy to have gotten such great marks. Despite having confidence in myself, I was under great pressure this year, especially considering the ongoing pandemic. I would like to sincerely thank my teachers, my parents and finally, thank God.”
Rashmi Nandkeolyar, Principal and Director, DPS Dubai, said, “We are thrilled that our students have performed brilliantly. The robustness of our school’s bench strength is our hallmark. Our school average is 87.56 per cent, with all students awarded a first division. 46.24 per cent students have achieved an aggregate of 90 per cent and above.”
‘Don’t compare with others’
Also scoring 98.8 per cent was Swayam Shah from The Indian High School, Dubai, where 36 per cent of students scored 90 per cent and above.
Swayam said students should not compete or compare themselves with others and instead try to best their previous performances.
“I’m just happy I met my goals I had set for myself - getting the school’s highest score is a bonus… It’s not about much you study, but the quality of study you get in that matters. And of course, teachers play a big hand in how well you do,” said Swayam, who is moving back home to India shortly to finish his high school. He wants to be a software engineer one day.
Punit MK Vasu, CEO of The Indian High Group of Schools, said “this year we gave a special emphasis on student wellbeing and arranged a bespoke ‘De-stress Programme’ before each exam… which allowed them to calm down and approach their exams with confidence”.
‘Everything will fall into place’
Meanwhile, Leha Mahesh Kumar from GEMS Our Own English High School, Dubai, topper her school with 98.4 per cent.
Leha said she “couldn’t believe it at first” when she got her results. Her advice to students is simple: “Don’t take too much stress, sleep well, work hard, do your best and everything will fall into place.”
She will “probably opt to study medicine” in college in the UK or Singapore after graduating high school.
At her school, 32.3 per cent of the test takers scored 90 per cent and above. “The result is the validation of hard work and commitment of our students, dedicated team of teachers and the ever-supportive parents,” said executive principal Thomas Mathew.
More results
Delhi Private School (DPS) Sharjah registered a school average of 90 per cent, with 58.2 per cent of students scoring 90 per cent and above. The top position was shared by two students - Venkatesh Sundar and Neha Sunil - who both scored 97.8 per cent.
And at Habitat School, Al Jurf Ajman, the overall average was 75.4 per cent. Hanan Subair secured the top position in the school with 97.4 per cent.
The school scored a 100 percent pass rate. “The quality of the result speaks volumes of the hard work of students and faculty. We commend and wish all of them the best”, said principal Bala Reddy Ambati.
