KARACHI: Girls claimed 65 percent of the overall top positions in this year’s Aga Khan University Examination Board (AKU-EB) results, announced on Friday, in a year that saw more than 26,000 students across Pakistan sit the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) examinations.
A total of 124 students secured national and regional overall positions, including group-wise positions across Science, Humanities, Pre-Medical, Pre-Engineering, Commerce, and others.
At the HSSC level, Hafsa Bugti of IBA Community College, Khairpur, secured the National Overall First Position and the Regional Overall First Position in Sindh.
At the SSC level, Muhammad Saad of Korangi Academy, Karachi and Yumna Wajeeh of P.E.C.H.S. Girls’ School, Karachi, shared the National Overall First Position, both also topping Sindh regionally.
Regional first positions went to students from every corner of the country. At the HSSC level, they were achieved by Abdul Basit of Nusrat Jehan Academy Inter College, Chenab Nagar (Punjab), Aliza Ehsan of Aga Khan Higher Secondary School, Gilgit (Gilgit-Baltistan), and Muniba Aziz of The Aga Khan Higher Secondary School, Kuragh (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa); at the SSC level, by Muneefa Ahmad of Maryam Siddiqa Girls Higher Secondary School, Chenab Nagar (Punjab), Kawish Mir of Aga Khan Higher Secondary School Gahkuch, Ghizer (Gilgit-Baltistan), and Noman Hashim of Aga Khan Higher Secondary School, Chitral (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa).
The results reflect a national spread of achievement: Sindh recorded eight regional overall position holders, Gilgit-Baltistan eight, Punjab seven, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa six.
For the students themselves, the achievement is personal:
“For me, it was about making sure that my concepts were clear in everything I studied. That is exactly what AKU-EB board assesses” said, Muhammad Saad, SSC National High Achiever.”
Also, Yumna Wajeeh, SSC National High Achiever, said the Board’s approach shaped how they study: AKU-EB’s Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) helped me prepare for the exams. Learning something may be easy, but thinking, questioning, and truly understanding what you learn is what makes this achievement meaningful.
Hafsa Bugti, HSSC National High Achiever, added: “I am the fifth child in my family to study through the AKU-EB system. As I prepare for the MDCAT, I recognise the importance of a strong educational foundation, but I also know that true confidence comes from the encouragement of those who believe in you. My father’s unwavering support, regardless of the outcome, inspires me to keep striving for my aspirations.”
Dr Naveed Yousuf, Chief Executive Officer of AKU-EB, congratulated the students and the people behind them.
“These results represent the hard work of students, teachers, families, and schools across Pakistan. Their achievements remind us that education is at its best when it cultivates curiosity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, laying the foundation for success in higher education and preparing young people to thrive in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world.”
For more than two decades, AKU-EB has worked as a model of excellence to strengthen education in Pakistan through an assessment approach that promotes conceptual understanding, analytical thinking, and the practical application of knowledge.
According to the University Destination Survey, 92 percent of HSSC-II graduates progress to higher education in Pakistan and abroad, more than half gain admission to the country’s top 15 Higher Education Commission universities, and graduates have progressed to more than 200 universities worldwide.
The Board has also focused on teachers, training more than 21,500 educators since 2015 in current teaching and assessment methods.
The AKU-EB will mark its Silver Jubilee in 2027 - 25 years of examinations in Pakistan. The Board says the anniversary will celebrate its students, teachers and partners while setting out plans for digital assessment, wider partnerships and new routes into learning.
The Aga Khan University Examination Board congratulates all students, parents, teachers, school leaders, examiners, and affiliated schools on the successful completion of the 2026 Annual Examinations.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026