Staff Correspondent
CHITRAL: The Aga Khan University Examination Board (AKU-EB) held its High Achievers Awards Ceremony in Chitral, celebrating students from across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
Sharif Panah, Deputy General Manager Aga Khan Education Service Pakistan (AKES, P) Chitral Region; AKU-EB Chief Executive Officer Dr Naveed Yousuf; high Aachievers; their parents and teachers; and other guests were present to honour students’ accomplishments and reflect on the role of education in shaping their futures.
Centred on the message of “The Light Within”, the ceremony encouraged students to look beyond their grades, recognise their strengths, develop their potential and use their knowledge to make a meaningful difference in society.
It highlighted the importance of understanding that academic achievement is one part of a much larger journey of learning, growth and self-discovery.
Addressing the students, chief guest Sharif Panah urged them to recognise and develop their abilities and become active contributors to their communities.
“I urge you to really look into your potentials and polish them and you have to become a very useful member of this society,” he said.
Mr Panah also highlighted AKU-EB’s contribution to strengthening teaching and learning beyond examinations, particularly through professional development for educators and feedback that helps schools improve their performance.
“Its role is not limited only to the conduct of better assessment, but AKU-EB is closely working with our schools, providing professional development opportunities to our teachers and school leaders through orientation sessions, workshops, seminars.
“And very interestingly, at the end of each examination, they provide us with a very critical feedback, that is school performance report, SPR. That really helps us to really look into our need improvement areas and improve on them,” he said.
The School Performance Report (SPR) provides schools with feedback on their examination performance, helping them identify areas for improvement and strengthen teaching and learning practices.
AKU-EB CEO Dr Naveed Yousuf encouraged students to consider how they would use their abilities and opportunities beyond the classroom. “Consider not only what you have achieved, but how you will use your knowledge, ability and opportunity in the years ahead,” he said.
High Achiever Noman Hashim from Aga Khan Higher Secondary School (AKHSS), Chitral, reflected on resilience and the responsibility that comes with success.
Emphasising that challenges need not determine one’s future, he said, “We cannot always choose the challenges that lie before us. But we can choose what we do because of it. May we never measure our success by how high we climb, but also by how many people we lift along the way.”
His reflections highlighted how achievement can extend beyond personal accomplishments to include the positive difference individuals make in the lives of others and their communities.
The Chitral ceremony was part of AKU-EB’s wider celebration of student achievement across Pakistan. Following an earlier ceremony in Karachi, the celebrations will continue to Gilgit-Baltistan, recognising students and their accomplishments across the northern regions.
These gatherings also acknowledge the contributions of parents, teachers and schools in supporting students throughout their educational journeys.
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