JEDDAH, 8 June 2008 — British International School in Jeddah (BISJ) pupil, Saba Jafri, is feeling on top of the world. At a low-key awards ceremony in the school yesterday she received a certificate confirming her position as the student with the highest marks in the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) in English Literature. She shares the top position with another girl student from China.

To add to Jafri’s joy and admitted surprise at her achievement, she also emerged as the student with the highest marks in English Literature, History and IT in Saudi Arabia. “Literature was one of those exams that when I came out, I said: ‘I don’t think I did well in that,’” said Jafri. “History and IT went well — they were not that big a surprise.”

Although she applied herself to the task, Jafri felt that it was important that she had been in a class with people who shared the same enthusiasm for literature. “I had a lot of fun doing it; the two-year course was really nice.”

She felt that, as well as her enthusiasm, teaching played an important role but the two elements had to be in balance. “When you begin reading seriously, you need someone to guide you to things to read, to give you some direction.”

Asked if being in the position of teacher and guide to Jafri was a challenge, Jude West responded: “It was a pleasure; Saba was a real pleasure to teach.” She agreed that the student had to be self-motivated but that teachers certainly had a role to play.

Educated at Karachi Grammar School until she arrived in the BISJ in 2004, Jafri picked up the reading habit early on in life. She began with fiction, but as she grew older, developed the taste for non-fiction. “I read anything, from newspapers and magazines — I just love reading.”

Reading, she said, was part of her upbringing — her sisters all read a great deal and were much older than she. They played a significant role in Jafri’s development. “Watching television was very restricted. We had specific times when we could watch and then under supervision.”

Jafri began her IB1 course this year to be followed with IB2 and hopes to go to university — either in the UK or the US. Her long-term aims are still open. “I was thinking about law or perhaps law and business combined,” she confided.

Commenting on the development of the web-based electronic book, Jafri said that she found those difficult to read. “When I start reading a book, I have to finish it before I put it down.”

She agreed that the physical pleasure of a real book was part of the thrill of reading. “However, research with the Internet is much easier; you can get a lot of material in a short time, she said.

BISJ Director Bruce Gamwell said that he was immensely proud of Saba’s achievement.

“It was an outstanding set of results,” Gamwell said, adding that had brought considerable honor to the school.