Nira and Almas win Dh. Atoll Madrasa’s top prize

Mariyam Nira Khaleel has won the award for the best allrounder in higher secondary education at the Dh. Atoll Madrasa for the academic year 2022-2023, while Aminath Almas Naseem took the top prize in secondary education.

The Dh. Atoll Madrasa, located in Kudahuvadhoo, held its 2022-2023 Prize Day on Friday night.

Almas, who took the school’s top prize in secondary education, said that the road to winning the prize was full of challenges.

Almas said she embarked on the journey fully aware of those challenges. She said that any student can win the coveted prize, if they work hard and face the challenges with courage. She also shared some tips for students aspiring to become a best allrounder.

This includes:

• Taking daily notes of lessons
• Making use of the internet to deepen knowledge
• Participating in extracurricular activities
• Performing salat with diligence, making prayers and reciting the Quran

“Knock on any and all doors to gain knowledge. Seek knowledge from wherever you can. Work to reach the heights of education. The path ahead is clear when you take learning beyond the lessons taught in school as a personal responsibility, and learn to self-educate,” she said.

List of students who won subject prize in Grade 9 and 10:

• Subject Prize in Quran (Grade 9): Aishath Minha Abdulla
• Subject Prize in Quran, Islam, Mathematics, Accounting and Economics (Grade 9): Yoosuf Alan Ibrahim
• Subject Prize in Quran (Grade 10): Abdulla Yameen
• Subject Prize in Quran and English (Grade 10): Aminath Almas Naseem
• Subject Prize in Quran (Grade 10): Aishath Aya Shareef
• Subject Prize in Quran (Grade 10): Aminath Manal Sajid
• Subject Prize in Quran (Grade 10): Fathimath Faraha Faiz
• Subject Prize in Quran and English (Grade 10): Hamad Abdul Rahman
• Subject Prize in Islam (Grade 10): Aishath Uyoon Umar
• Subject Prize in English (Grade 10): Aishath Nausheen Nasir

General Proficiency Award, Honor Listed Award, Class Prize:

• Honor Listed Award and Class Prize: Yoosuf Alan Ibrahim
• General Proficiency Award: Rausha Ibrahim
• General Proficiency Award and Class Prize: Hamad Abdul Rahman

Students also received additional awards for their performance.

Ahmed Siyam Mohamed, the president of Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) and parliamentary representative for the Meedhoo constituency, served as chief guest at the event.

Addressing the students, Siyam said that book smarts alone isn’t enough to become productive citizens. He said that they also need to learn skills and good discipline.

“We all want to reach a happy destination in our lives. To accomplish this, we need to become skilled individuals. This can only be done if teachers and parents are also self-aware,” he said.

Siyam said that despite spending billions of Rufiyaa on education, the country has not managed to channel it into an increase in productivity.

“So, we need to utilize our education. If you are given a job, you need to have the proper work ethic,” he said, expressing concern over a lack of work ethic among the country’s youth.

Siyam said that his own company, the Sun Siyam Group, employees some 10,000 people of different nationalities.

He said that it is clear that Maldivian employees possess talent and intellect.

He urged parents to foster a good work ethic and develop the skills of their children from a young age.

Siyam also urged the school’s students to respect and show obedience to their parents and teachers.

“Learning is just 50 percent of your education. The other 50 percent is your discipline,” he said.