80.1% of Abu Dhabi students pass Grade 12 exams

Abu Dhabi: More than 80 per cent of students who sat for the Grade 12 exams under the UAE Ministry of Education curriculum in the emirate of Abu Dhabi have passed, the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) has announced.

The results were announced by the education sector regulator late on Thursday evening, and brought tremendous joy to the top-scorers and their families.

“My friend informed me that the results were out, and when I checked, I was delighted to find out that I had achieved 99.3 per cent,” Taif Al Ameri, 18, told Gulf News. She was the top-scoring Emirati in the emirate, and was enrolled at Al Mawaheb School in the capital.

The topmost score in the emirate was achieved by an Egyptian student living in Al Dhafra Region, Rawdah Al Attar. She scored 99.8 per cent in her overall assessment.

“Today sees the results of the first batch of students who were taught under the new sciences-focused curriculum for high school. This is just the beginning of their long journey towards [success],” said Dr Ali Al Nuaimi, director-general at the Adec.

He added that the future will see tremendous changes in the UAE’s economy and labour market and that the country’s education system should keep pace with these. The Adec’s new secondary school model is based on these changes, Dr Al Nuaimi explained.

As reported by Gulf News in 2015, the Adec introduced a science-focused high school curriculum for the 2015-2016 academic year. As part of this overhaul, all students had to study the sciences in Grade 11 and 12, and had to devote 50 per cent of their time at school to the study of sciences. Prior to this, students had a choice to study in the Science stream or opt for the Arts stream that placed much less emphasis on the sciences.

Among the 10 highest-scoring students, seven attend schools in Al Dhafra Region, while three live in Al Ain. The students are all expatriates, and eight are male.

Among the Emirati high scorers, 12 live in Al Ain, while seven are from the capital city and one is from Al Dhafra Region.

Many of the top-scoring students this year hope to go on to careers in scientific fields.

Al Ameri said she hopes to pursue mechanical engineering at university, and then specialise in nuclear engineering.

“My aim is to help the UAE move to a cleaner energy future,” she said.

Saeed Al Kaabi, 18, the top-scoring male Emirati, said he wants to specialise in neurology. He completed his schooling at Al Dahmaa School in Al Ain, and achieved a score of 99.1 per cent.

“There are very few doctors in the region who have advanced the study of neurology, and I want to contribute to this growing understanding of the human brain,” Al Kaabi said.

“I hoped to do well, but almost didn’t expect it (do so well). My family was overjoyed. I will now apply to universities in Ireland, where I hope to pursue my medical studies,” he added.

In the meantime, families are celebrating the achievements of the best students in Abu Dhabi.

“My family got me a cake right away, and I believe many more celebrations are in store,” Al Ameri said. She is the first of four siblings, and added that her younger brothers and sister have been inspired by her grades.

According to the reports by the Adec, a total of 14,672 students were enrolled in Grade 12 during 2016-2017, and attended the first trimester examinations. The exact number of students who sat for the final exams was, however, not immediately available.

Top achievers across Abu Dhabi schools

Emirati male

Topper: Saeed Abdullah Awad Hilal Salem Al Kaabi (99.1 per cent)

Khalifa Mohammad Ahmad Abdul Karim Omar

Yousuf Ali Yousuf Al Saad

Abdul Rahman Ali Salem Dahabaj Harbi

Abdullah Ali Salem Khamis Al Saadi

Emirati female

Topper: Taif Sultan Hamad Al Ameri (99.3 per cent)

Mezn Ali Ganem Ali Al Hammadi

Afra Mahmoud Saeed Salem Al Saidi

Latifa Rashid Jumaa Obaid Al Nuaimi