MARDAN: Sara Khizar, a student of Noor Education System, Nowshera, has clinched top position in the secondary school certificate (SSC) examinations of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Mardan.

The results were announced by the board officials in a ceremony held at the board premises on Wednesday.

PTI MNA Mujahid Khan was the chief guest while parents and relatives of the top 20 position-holder students and officials also attended the ceremony.According to the results, Sara Khizar of Noor Education System Kheshgi Bala, Nowshera, got the overall Krst position by obtaining 1,041marks of total 1,050 marks, Afreenish Sheraz of Pioneers English Grammar School, Marghuz, Swabi district, obtained second position with 1,039 marks and Yaseen of Al-Khair Model High School, Katlang, secured third position with 1,035 marks. All the topthree positionholders belonged to the science group.

In humanities group, Mohammad Ziaul Islam of Pasban Model School Zarobi, Swabi district, Rubab Khan of Presentation Convent High School Risalpur, Nowshera district, and Noor Mohammad of Center for Speech and Hearing, Mardan district, bagged the ñrst, second and third positions with 940, 906 and 891 marks, respectively.

Mr Ihsanullah, controller of the examinations, said on the occasion that cashprizes of Rs50,000, Rs45,000 and Rs40,000 would be awarded to the top three position-holders of both the science and arts groups.

He said that total 60,606 candidates of both science and arts groups of grade 10th had appeared in the SSC examinations of which 46,842 were declared passed. Similarly, a total of 65,678 students of grad 9th appeared in the examinations in which 36,316 were declared as passed.

MNA Mujahid Khan gave away prizes to the position-holders. Among the top 20 position holders of SSC examinations , there was only one student from the government schools who got 10th position. All other 19 positionholders were from private sector schools.

The results of BISE, Mardan, have exposed the tall claims of PTI-led provincial government about its focus on the promotion of quality education in public sector schools.