Sara al-Shweiki scores 99.8%

Sara al-Shweiki Ramallah - Sona Adeek With big smiles and overwhelming joy, sweets are spread everywhere in celebration of a brilliant academic achievement. Arabstoday met Mrs Om Sultan, from al Kalil city (Hebron): "In the beginning, I couldn’t bear the news.. I felt like any mother who hears news of her daughters excellence in the last year of high school.” She is the mother of Sara Zakaria el Shweiki, the 17-year-old daughter who studied in Wedad Nasser Eldin School in Hebron. The star pupil scored 99.8 percent for taking first place with science honours in Palestine. In her house in Hebron, Om Sultan told Arabstoday about her happiness: “Thank God! I still can’t believe that my daughter ranked first in Palestine.” Said Sara herself: “I expected 99 percent and didn’t have any doubt that I’d score less than that. I’m very happy to rank first, even if I studied only 5-6 hours daily and didn't have any private lessons except for mathematics.” She said she was confident hard workers always got what they deserved: "I excelled first with God’s help, and then my hard work...my parents’ support was the fuel that pushed me towards excellence." Sara dedicated her success to the people of Palestine, especially the victims, the injured, the prisoners and the Palestinian President whom she invited to think of the best students and increase their grants, not only to the top ten students. She pointed out that there were many students who scored top marks but were not given scholarships. She also thanked her teachers and the school director who supported and guided her, her parents, brothers, family, relatives and friends. About her university studies, she said that she dreamed since her childhood of studying medicine in Nagah University (Success University) in Nablus, and open a clinic in Hebron. The Ministry of Education announced today on Thursday the results of high school graduates in a joint press conference between West Bank and Gaza Strip, where the pass percentage in all branches was 62.2 percent. The number of applicants was 85,910, of which 53,450 succeeded in passing.