KARACHI: A prize distribution ceremony to distribute cash awards among position holders of matriculation and intermediate examinations was held at the Chief Minister’s House on Tuesday. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah distributed cash prizes worth Rs 927 million among 145 position holders and 36,157 A-1 graders of all the groups of matriculation and intermediate examinations of all educational boards. The chief minister gave a Rs 300,000 cash prize to first position holder, Rs 200,000 to second position holder, Rs 100,000 to third position holder and Rs 25,000 each to A-1 grader. Education Minister Jam Mehtab Dahar, Principal Secretary to CM Sohail Rajput, Additional Chief Secretary (U&B) Mohammad Hussain Syed, Colleges Secretary Pervez Seehar, chairmen of educational boards, educationists, students and their parents attend the ceremony. Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister said that a sum of Rs 3 billion was being spent on enrolment, registration, examination fee and distribution of cash prizes distribution among position holders of all educational boards operating all over Sindh. Twenty one students of Mirpur Khas BISE bagged 21 prizes, Sukkur BISE got 39, Larkana 28 and Hyderabad 24 among others Addressing the position holders, the chief minister said: “You are future of our nation and I am sure one day you will achieve excellence in different fields.” He congratulated the students, their teachers and parents on receiving cash awards. The chief minister said that he was working hard to improve educational standard in the province. “One day our students particularly of public sector educational institutes will compete on international level,” he said, and urged teachers, parents, educational boards and the civil society to join hands to eradicate copy culture. There are eight educational boards in Sindh, including Technical Board and Shaheed Benazirabad Board. Some 550,000 students are receiving education higher secondary classes (HSC) while 750,000 are studying in secondary classes (SSC). Education Minister Jam Mehtab Dahar also spoke on the occasion and congratulated the position holders and urged the A-1 graders to work hard to achieve positions in their next examination. Published in Daily Times, May 16th 2018.