Aga Khan School scoops gold ranking in Cambridge exams

Aga Khan Elementary School says it has achieved the global ranking of gold from projects that their students presented for the April Cambridge Primary Checkpoint examinations.

Speaking at the Year Six graduation ceremony at Aga Khan School main hall on Friday last week, Mr Emmanuel Ndoori, the head teacher of Aga Khan Elementary School, said the institution was ranked in the gold category because of the practical solutions that the students were providing to address global issues such as pollution, hunger and climate change.

In the exams, the examiners assessed the students’ skills for research, analysis, evaluation, reflection, communication and collaboration.

“All projects scored gold. The students recorded their videos and sent them for assessment for research,  analysis, evaluation, reflection, communication, collaboration and team work, which are all skills needed in workplaces because they need people who are team players,” he said.

Mr Ndoori added that of the 55 students who sat the examinations, 18 scored 50 out of 50 in English, Mathematics and Science in the new grading system launched two years ago.

As a result, he said, their students are among the 25 whose performance was ranked globally as outstanding after scoring marks ranging between 41 and 50. Another 24, whose performance was ranked as high, scored marks between 31 and 41, while six scored between 21 and 30.

“The top mark in each of the three subjects is 50. We had four students who scored 50 out of 50 in English, three in Mathematics and 11 in Science. This is the first examination in the new curriculum, which was changed two years ago,” he said.

“Previously, we were using points where the highest point was six, meaning a student would score 18 points in the three subjects,” he added.

The head teacher explained that whereas the global average marks for English, Mathematics and Science stood at 33, 32 and 32, respectively, the school set theirs at 39 for English, 36 for Mathematics and 43 for Science, leading to 100 percent pass rate.

Mr Mahmoud Sayani, the chief executive officer of Aga Khan Education Services Uganda, described the performance as a great moment for the school because it brings out its mission and vision of producing students who can create partnerships, are ethical, compassionate and are lifelong learners the world needs today.

He explained that nowadays, the world needs people who can find solutions to various challenges.

The 55, who have been in the primary school, will now be joining Aga Khan High School for their O-Level.