Pretoria - The Al-Asr Educational Institute in Centurion has once again delivered several bright sparks and top achievers during the 2016 matric year.
One of these is Hajira Sikander, 18, the former head girl, who scored distinctions in all of her seven subjects, giving her an aggregate of 92 percent.
She will follow a career in medicine at the University of Pretoria this year.
As she anxiously waited for her matric results on Wednesday, Sikander said she had high hopes that she had done well.
“The exams were quite difficult, but I really put in much more effort than I did in my past school years,” she said.
Sikander added that she had gone the extra mile to make certain that she achieved the best results.
“It cost me my smartphone and cutting down on television. Everything that distracted me I did away with, and that included having long leisure time with friends,” she said.
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She is delighted that all her hard work paid off, making her the top student at the school.
On her heels is Radiya Gani, 18, who obtained six As and an aggregate of 90 percent.
The aspiring medical doctor said she looked up to her brother-in-law, who is a specialist medical doctor.
She said her love for medicine saw her shadow her brother-in-law when she was still in Grade 11.
“My brother-in-law works at a public hospital situated in a rural area.
“When I went there, I was heartbroken to witness the long queues that people go through in order to access public healthcare.
“From that day on, I knew I really wanted to change the situation.
"The reality is that there is a shortage of doctors in rural communities, and the equipment and facilities are slowly deteriorating,” said Gani.
“I want to change that. My focus is on rural hospitals, I want to ensure that they, too, get the same care as private and city hospitals,” she said.
Also flying the school’s flag high were three other pupils, Raeesa Joosub, 18, Aakisah Saban, 18, and Mediha Ukaye, 18 who all obtained five distinctions in various subjects that included Mathematics, Accounting, Physical Sciences and Life Sciences.