AKU-EB honours Gilgit-Baltistan high achievers at Gilgit ceremony

GILGIT: The Aga Khan University Examination Board (AKU-EB) honoured high-achieving students from Gilgit-Baltistan at a ceremony in Gilgit on Wednesday, held under the theme "The Light Within", according to a report by Pamir Times.

Teachers, parents, education officials and students attended. Professor Dr Akbar Zaidi, executive director of the Institute of Business Administration (IBA) in Karachi, was chief guest, and educator and social entrepreneur Aniqa Bano was guest of honour.

Dr Zaidi credited teachers with shaping students' futures and said the board's graduates who join IBA Karachi are "the best students we receive". AKU-EB high achievers, he said, rank among the top one per cent of students in Pakistan. He urged the awardees to aim high and pursue the opportunities open to them.

Bano congratulated the students and told them they carried the country's future. "Pakistan is definitely going through a challenging time, and you are the ones with the potential to bring us out of this crisis," she said, describing them as a foundation of hope for the nation.

Ayesha Ahmed Shehzad, an awardee who wants to study medicine, said results alone should not define a student's worth. "Academic achievements matter, but they do not define our entire worth. Our character is also reflected in our compassion, our humility, and what we choose to do with the opportunities we receive," she said.

Dr Naveed Yousuf, chief executive officer of AKU-EB, thanked guests, donors, parents and students for supporting education, and said students must prepare for a rapidly changing world shaped by artificial intelligence, new technology and emerging professions. He said climate change and inequality would require fresh perspectives and thoughtful solutions, and that young people would need adaptability, creativity, sound judgement and empathy to go with their knowledge.

Dr Yousuf also pressed the case for ethical decision-making, telling students to distinguish between what is possible and what is right, and to stay guided by a clear sense of purpose.

According to the report, the theme was chosen to direct attention beyond grades to the values and convictions that guide decisions, and to stress compassion, integrity and service. AKU-EB holds such ceremonies to recognise achievement and to encourage students to use their education for their communities.