Zahira Group of ’80 holds high achievers felicitation ceremony

The Zahira Group of ’80, considered the pioneering group of Old Boys of Zahira College, Colombo, touching 20 years of dedicated selfless service to the Alma Mater, held a ceremony on 29 March 2012 at Zahira Gaffoor Hall to award high achievers.

The 2011 Advanced Level examination high achiever students were awarded a branded laptop computer in recognition of their excellence education performance for obtaining three As and those who obtained two As and one B, filling a dire need to facilitate them in continuing their chosen career advancement in academic studies at university and/or in professional course gateway path.

It is noteworthy this is a ground breaking program in the college core activity area of education and considered as a first of its kind in the recent history of the college in guiding growth in educational quality standards.

College educational standards needs to be focused, due attention placed and prioritised given  its economic cost to the parents and Zahira G80 hopes to concentrate more on this area in the future as well to support the college raise its educational standards.

G80 had extended its theme of ‘Courage To Be Different’ with ‘To Lead Where It Matters’ and has declared 2012 as the year of education, giving prominence to college educational standard raising projects, said President of G80 Feroze Inham in his address at this function.

Members of G80 is healthily placed in the affairs of the College when considering a large number of its membership is serving in the College Board of Governors, Old Boys Association and Parent Teacher Association, forming a formidable strength. However, it’s rather difficult to mobilise a resource pool when education projects are planned considering the challenges of peak hour demands made on the G80 and other Old Boys.

G80 expects recognising of high achiever students would encourage and motivate more students achieve better raised performance levels in future public examination results

 Jiffry Haniffa, Principal, Zahira College said the G80 program design helps share the best practices of high achievers that would definitely inspire and motivate the students to achieve better results in public examinations and thanked the Group 80 for this innovative initiative and the donors for supporting it.

The first recipient of three As, Sinhala Medium – Commerce Stream was Mohamed Rifkhan Kalam, who had a Z score of 2.6202 and all island ranking 58 and district ranking 28, the darling of the entire teaching faculty, who recalled with a moving speech of gratitude the names of his entire class teachers by name, from Grade 1 to Grade 13. Moreover he gave a special tribute calling Asoka Senanayake his Primary School Mother and Anjalie Senanayake his Advanced Level Mother.

The second recipient of three As  Mohamed Mafaz Faiz, the third recipient Mohamed Azri Nahas, the fourth recipient in the two As and one B Mohamed Nishath Kareem, fifth recipient in the two As and one B  Farzan Arif Shafraz were each presented with branded laptop computers.

Zahira G80 extended the recognition of the 2011 Advanced Level Examination Student High achievers to Fathima Muslim Balika College, Colombo, when it awarded a branded lap top to the all island ranking number three and district ranking number two Bio Stream Student Fathima Halidha Saleem, who topped with an astonishing Z Score of 2.8665, who said, “Have an aim in life and plan to achieve with a positive frame of mind and then anything is then achievable.”

Zahira College Senior Vice Principal Ananda Ponnemperuma in his vote of thanks said: “When the high achievers were interviewed and findings evaluated, the ranking of economic, social and environment setting as the barriers to higher educational achievements was seen as a big myth. Student commitment and motivation, teacher and parent dedication, love and care is the key for high achievement in education.”

Donors Dr. Fazli Nizar, M.B. Reza, M.U.M. Azmi and OBA Qatar were profusely thanked for coming forward in making this presentation. Deputy Principal Trizvi Marikkar, Group of ’80 Founder President M.S.M. Niyas, Board of Governors Secretary Rizvi Niyas, Members of the G80, parents, teachers and students were present at this ceremony.