Dubai: Around 36,000 high school students from across the country gathered around their computer screens on Tuesday to find out how they had fared in the academic year 2013/14.
Of that total, 31 pupils were named on Tuesday for earning the highest marks in their school calendar year.
The Grade 12 pupils who came on top from public schools and private schools which subscribe to the Ministry of Education curriculum were announced by the Minister of Education for the first time on the UAE Government’s YouTube page.
His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, tweeted his congratulations to the Grade 12 students who passed their examination.
“Today is a special day for thousands of Emirati high school pupils. I would like to congratulate all the pupils who graduated. I would also like to congratulate the parents of pupils who achieved outstanding results, and extend my thanks to all the teachers.”
Shaikh Mohammad also called on pupils to make the UAE proud.
“To all the high school graduates, a new life filled with challenges and achievements awaits you. The nation awaits great things from you. Make the UAE proud.”
Shaikh Mohammad also congratulated Emirati Mariam Al Maslahi, 17, who received the highest grade in the art streams.
“Congratulations to the daughter of the UAE, Mariam Ali Al Maslahi, who was the first in the arts stream with a grade of 99.92 per cent.”
Gulf News spoke to Mariam Al Maslahi who said she was surprised to be the first.
“I was shocked. I did not expect to receive the highest grade out of the 36,621 pupils who also took the exam. I first learned about my grade from my friends. I did not believe them so I went on YouTube to check for myself,”
Mariam said she studied for three to six hours a day. She said her family expected her to be among the top 10 but she never expected to be the first.
“I am happy that I was able to represent the UAE and make my parents and country’s leaders proud. I can describe my feeling as being on cloud nine,” said Mariam, who hopes to study psychiatry in UAE University in Al Ain.
The first in the science stream was Ahmad Metwali Shaheen, 18, who received the highest grade in the science stream with 99.85 per cent.
“I feel that I am on top of the world. I expected to come on top but never thought that I was going to be the first. As advice I would tell future grade 12 pupils not to leave your studies for the last minute and keep on revising directly after you learn something new.”
Shaheen hopes to study engineering in a university either in Egypt of the UAE.
Jordanian Raghad Al Otaibi, who placed second in the arts stream, said she screamed so loud when she found out she had come second that her neighbours called her mum to check if everything was OK.
“I didn’t sleep for two days. I kept on checking YouTube every two seconds. I had all the phones and laptops in the house and I kept on refreshing until the video was out.”
Raghad, who hopes to study finance at the American University of Sharjah, said the key to success is proper organisation of time.
The Minister of Education Humaid Mohammad Al Qutami launched the video during a press conference held at the ministry’s headquarters in Dubai on Tuesday.
“Those who came on top are a source of pride to the ministry and its education zones. We hope that they take these degrees to go on and become successful in their future.”
Out of the 36,621 pupils who took the exams this year, 24,742 (68 per cent) were in the arts stream and 11,879 (32 per cent) were in the science stream. The passing rate in the literary and scientific sections was 67.8 per cent and 89.4 per cent, respectively.
