Nisma Rafiq

Saudi Gazette



JEDDAH —  Haroon Tariq, a young Pakistani student of Froebel's International School (FIS), is the new record holder with 47 A Grades (As), which he obtained in the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) O-Level and A-Level exams conducted by the University of Cambridge's International Examinations.



Tariq studied 51 subjects — science and humanities — over a span of just three years. "I didn't plan to do so many subjects in the beginning. My target was to get 5 A's in my O Levels."



He added: "When I had 3 A's in O Levels after my first exam session, I told my mother in jest that I want to make a world record, but she took that seriously. After which I decided to make my mother happy even if that meant giving up lot of my leisure time for my studies."



The 18-year-old world record maker is a passionate learner and gives credit to his parents and teachers, especially Shehmina and Sir Sumair, for his achievements.



In O Levels, the previous world record was also held by a Pakistani student, Zohaib Asad, with 28 As. Tariq obtained 38 As in O levels and surpassed Asad. 



"I studied two months before each exam session," he said, adding: "And around eight-10 hours a day during exams."

 

With such commendable results, Tariq surely sees a bright future for himself. He plans to pursue engineering, but has not decided his field of specialization — aeronautical or software engineering.



"I plan to go to the US or UK for higher studies, and I' ll return back home after I have my degree In Sha Allah," he said. "I see myself doing something good for Pakistan and the Muslim community as a whole."



Just like any boy his age, Tariq also took part in various extracurricular activities.



"I am a supporter of Manchester City football club of England which is owned by our Muslim brother, Sheikh Mansour of Abu Dhabi royal family," said the young football lover.



Tariq's advice to all other students who wish to achieve meritorious results is "don't stress yourself too much by studying for five hours straight. Try to take 10 minutes break every hour."



He is willing to help any student and can be contacted on Haroon Tariq's official page on Facebook.