BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

PADUKA Seri Begawan Sultan Science College (Maktab Sains) students achieved a 100 per cent pass rate in last year’s Brunei-Cambridge GCE O level examinations, its principal said yesterday.

Dr Hjh Zurina Hj Harun said every former Year 10 student at the elite college had achieved at least 5 Os in the 2013 GCE O level examinations.

The principal was speaking during an awards ceremony to honour the school’s top achieving students in the GCE O and A level exams last year.

A total of 126 high-achieving students received trophies and certificates at the ceremony yesterday.

Three students were honoured with the school’s ‘Best O Level result’ award. Nurul Hafizah Pg Hj Azhar, Sorfina Nasriyah Hj Ahmad Ghazali, and Muna Maisarah Hj Abdul Malik each received 7 A* and 2 A’s.

Meanwhile, the school’s top achiever in the A level exams was Lim Kim Hui, who scored 4 A* and 1 A.

Dr Hjh Zurina said 85.7 per cent of the school’s former Year 11 students had achieved 3 A’s and above in the A level examinations – a 1.6 per cent increase in the school’s overall A Level exam performance compared to the previous year.

Four Year 11 high-achieving students who had been awarded with Ministry of Education (MoE) scholarships to study in Otago, New Zealand also received special mentions at the ceremony.

The students were Mumtazah Zahra Hj Ahmad Ghazali, Royston Liaw Ding Yuan, Muhammad Wafiuddin Aminudin, and Adi Wa’ie Hj Ajamain.

The principal also noted that two new award categories for Year 10 students had been added this year.

“The first category is for Year 10 students who have demonstrated a significant increase in their grades – from not achieving a single ‘credit’ in their mock examinations, to achieving an ‘A’ in a subject during the O level examinations. Thirty-five students will be receiving this award today.

“The second category, which we have dubbed the PHS Award, takes into account and rewards the determination of students who specifically strive to improve their grade performance,” Dr Hjh Zurina explained.

The PHS Award, which consists of a trophy and a $100 cash prize, was presented to Year 10 student, Samuel Johannes Chin Yun Chen.

Dr Hjh Zurina also acknowledged the school’s Year 10 and 11 teachers for their unwavering support, motivation and commitment toward the students who had taken part in the O and A level exams.

Director-general of Education at MoE Pg Hjh Sarah Pg Hj Kamaluddin (who is a former principal of Maktab Sains) was present to congratulate, as well as distribute trophies and certificates to the recipients.

“To the students who have just completed O levels, your success is a starting point in your continuing journey towards pre-university level, which will be much more challenging, and which will require persistence.

“To the students who have completed and passed A levels, you should continue to strive to gain knowledge and skills at the university level. Hopefully, all of you will be selected for entry into reputable universities – regardless whether these institutions are overseas, or local,” Pg Hjh Sarah said.

The director-deneral also urged the students to resist from being hastily satisfied with their level of success that has been achieved so far.

“This is because there is still much room for improvement, for the existence of something even better,” she said.

The Brunei Times