Grade XII results of the All India Secondary School Certificate Examination (AISSCE) were out Monday, bringing joy and jubilation for the students and teachers of the International Indian School Jeddah (IISJ). The school broke all its previous records with a 100 percent success rate in the examination conducted by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE). Some 39 IISJ students scored 90 percent and above. Of 459 students who took the exams conducted in March-April, 432 achieved first division. “I congratulate the principal and his team members who have raised the standard, and the children who have done so well,” Indian Consul General Faiz Ahmed Kidwai said. He said the school managing committee also needs to take some credit for this achievement. “All of them have to keep up the good work and further improve the standard. Hope the students fare well in competitive examinations back home,” the consul general said. Congratulating the school principal and the teaching staff, Dr. M. S. Karimuddin, Member of the Higher Board of International Indian Schools in Saudi Arabia, said that the results did not surprise him because he has witnessed the commitment, hard work and professional approach of the teaching staff. “Some elements in society may try their best to tarnish the excellent image you and your staff have created for this wonderful school, but the fact remains that our school is the most in demand for admission. Our graduates who have joined local colleges have secured 10 out of 10 GPA and have received 100 percent merit scholarships. This speaks volumes for the efficiency of our teaching staff,” said Dr. Karimuddin in his congratulatory letter. “It's a great day for us.” This is how IISJ Managing Committee Chairman Dr. Khursheed Akhtar responded when contacted by Saudi Gazette. “I congratulate the entire teaching and non-teaching staff. The efforts of parents and students are also commendable,” he said. “Since I'm myself an academician so the focus is on the academic side. And this is one of the reasons for this outstanding performance,” he said. Commenting on what he described as the best-ever Grade XII result in any Indian school all over the Kingdom, IISJ Principal Syed Masood Ahmed said that it was a collective effort of teachers and students as well as the cooperation of parents. “There has been a change in attitude of all three vis-a-vis studies. Our teachers were so committed that they used to teach students till midnight,” he said. Rabeeha Abdurehim topped the school by scoring 96.2 percent. She was followed by Shaza Salim who scored 95.6 percent and Afroz Shahana Ashraf with 95.2 percent. Among boys, Ahmed Ziyad Nadeer Kutty came first by scoring 93.6 percent followed by Amit Gopal Hattimare and Mohammed Ilias Ali who scored 93.2 percent and 93 percent respectively. “I am proud of my son,” said Ahmed Koya Nadeer, the father of Ziyad Nadeer. He attributed his son's success to hard work and the support of his teachers. He said that Ziyad was going to India to attend coaching classes to qualify for the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). For Mohammed Imtiaz Ali, the father of Ilias Ali, the result was not a surprise. Imtiaz, who had shifted Ilias from a different school to IISJ in Grade XII, said his son was always a topper. “I wanted to give to my son what I could not achieve in my educational career,” he told Saudi Gazette. Ilias, who is in Hyderabad at present, has plans to take the Engineering, Agriculture and Medical Common Entrance Test (EAMCET) conducted by the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Imtiaz said that his son had also scored good marks in the SAT examination, the standardized test for college admission in the United States. But he could not afford the high tuition fees in America. __
