The government has conferred Top Achievers' Award 2020-2021 to 847 students who took the secondary examinations last year. The students were presented the awards at the ceremony for the Top Achievers' Award 2021-2022. President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, First Lady Fazna Ahmed, and Vice President Faisal Naseem attended the ceremony held in the Dharubaaruge convention centre in Male' City.
During the ceremony, President Solih conferred awards on students who achieved first place in the secondary examinations and recognised top achievers who secured first place worldwide in individual subject categories. First Lady Fazna presented awards to students who earned second place, while Vice President Naseem presented awards to those who achieved third place in their respective examinations. In addition, ministers and heads of institutions also handed over trophies and certificates to the achievers.
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Education Dr. Aishath Ali said that only 50 students were in the top 10 several years ago. She, however, said that the number of achievers has increased significantly with the modern education system. In addition, she said that teachers have increased their interest in teaching and their efforts to achieve good results from students with the change in salary structure in recent years. She noted that resources and various programmes in schools have also increased the interest in learning from students.
Out of the 6,360 candidates who took the secondary examinations last year, 844 students achieved a position in the prestigious national top 10 rankings, including 11 students ranked in the world's top 10, while six were honoured with the High Achievement Award. This year marks the first time in history that the students of Al Madhrasathul Arabiyyathul Islamiyya had the opportunity to compete for the award.