Future nation-builders honoured

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The Daily Star honoured in an award ceremony yesterday, the nation’s 911 highest achieving ‘O’ and ‘A’ level students, including 55 who ranked among the world’s top scorers in their subjects.

Attended by teachers, friends, families and specially invited guests in National Indoor Stadium in Mirpur of the capital, the ceremony awarded the outstanding students with medals and certificates of excellence amid fanfare and dance performances by several schools.

The 9th Annual Daily Star Awards went to 640 O level students who achieved six or more As in two consecutive sittings in exams, and to 243 A level students who attained a minimum of three As in the exams held under Cambridge University and the University of London.

Among 55 students, who had ranked among the top scorers of the world in their subjects, 13 of the ‘O’ level graduates and 15 of the ‘A’ level, however were not awarded yesterday because they had not succeeded in getting the required number of As in respective categories.

Twenty four students, who sat for their ‘A’ levels, ranked among the top scorers of the world in their subjects, with 20 of them clinching the honour in accounting alone, in the exams of January 2007 and May/June 2007.

Thirty one students, who took their ‘O’ level exams, ranked among the top scorers of the world in their subjects, with Bangladeshi students dominating a diverse set of disciplines from economics to English language.

Speaking as the chief guest, eminent physicist Jamal Nazrul Islam, director of the Research Centre for Mathematical and Physical Sciences at the University of Chittagong, called on the high achievers to address poverty and to serve not only their country but also their world.

“Your main concern should be Service to your country, your region, and the globe,” said Nazrul adding, it is up to the students to confront the challenges of their time.

“The quality of Bangla being taught in English medium schools and the quality of English in Bangla medium schools should be equal,” Nazrul said, who also distributed the awards among the top achievers.

He said the widening disparity between the rich and the poor is a daily reality for Bangladeshis and the young students should fight against the injustices in society.

“Poverty is something that must be addressed now,” Nazrul said adding, this generation of students must stand up for the future of Bangladesh and address the political, economic, and social problems of the country.

David Davies, global relationship manager of Edexcel UK, one of the sponsors of the programme, asked the young outstanding achievers to seize the day by taking the opportunities now to have successful futures.

He said Edexcel is in the process of revising their A level exams to make them more demanding, but he expressed confidence in the abilities of Bangladeshi students to overcome any challenge thrown their way in the future.

Kaiser Tanvir Amin, acting managing director and CEO of Brac Bank, and Rubaba Dowla, director of Grameen Phone’s marketing division, also spoke.

Calling upon the students to contribute to the process of nation building, The Daily Star Editor and Publisher Mahfuz Anam said their talent and commitment can surely overcome the challenges Bangladesh will face in the 21st century.

Anam said personal achievements of the students will not be truly realised, if broader national achievements are not attained.

Urging the students to be tolerant towards the views and ideologies of others, Mahfuz Anam said, “Different people will have different opinions, but those must be based on knowledge, not on prejudices.”

He said many of the awardees will go abroad while others will study at home, but those who do not go abroad should not feel deprived, because, “I know many men and women who excelled globally, but had studied in Bangladesh.”

The time has come for the English medium schools to make significant contributions to the growth of the country, despite the misconception that those schools are disconnected from the mainstream of education, Anam added.

Tanjim Efaz, from Sunnydale who received 8 As in his ‘O’ levels, and Mushfequr Rahman, who attained 9As in his ‘O’ level exams, spoke on behalf of their batch of students.

Sarah Fouzia Chowdhury from Mastermind, who ranked among the top scorers of the world in physics and mathematics while bagging 6 As in her ‘A’ levels, spoke on behalf of the ‘A’ level students.

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