KARACHI: The grand finale of the annual popular declamation contest for Karachi schools, organised by the Board of Management, Jinnah Society, and KCFR was held here earlier today at the historic Quaid-e-Azam House Museum.
As many as 34 schools participated in the competition, and after an exhaustive two-day elimination process, ten schools were finally selected for the grand finale by a panel of two judges comprising Akber Merchant and Sara Daniyal. The schools that made it to the finale were The City Intermediate College, DHACSS Phase-VIII, The Mama Parsi School, Habib Girls School, Agha Khan School Morning, Graceful Grammar Higher Secondary School Campus 1, New-Day School, Ida Rieu Blind & Deaf School, BVS Parsi School, and Al- Murtaza School.
The jury for the finale comprised journalist, Ghazi Sallahuddin, founder IVS Noorjehan Belgrami and Founder Jinnah Foundation, Naseem Merchant. The three winners that emerged today after an exciting competition among the ten contestents were Syeda Fatima Zehra from The Mama Parsi School with first prize, Raween Abid from Agha Khan School Morning at second and Tousif Ahmed from Ida Rieu Blind and deaf School.
It may be noted that the Jinnah Society originally conceived the competition, which has been successfully held over the past two decades. After Quaid-e-Azam House Museum came under the provincial government, its ownership and control became vested with the Sindh Government. Four years ago, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and the then Corps Commander, Humayun Aziz, created a Board of Managementfor it, and subsequently, a tripartite MOU was signed between the Sindh Government, Jinnah Society, and Karachi Council on Foreign Relations (KCFR). A Board of Management comprising 18 Members that includes Jinnah Society, KCFR, philanthropists, leading citizens, and Sindh Government representatives was formed. There are three principal functionaries of the Board of Management comprising Liaquat H. Merchant, as Senior Vice Chairman, Ikram Sehgal, as Vice Chairman, and Commodore (R) Sadeed Malik, as Secretary General. The office of Chairman and Co-Chairman are ex-officio positions held by the Chief Minister and Chief Secretary Sindh.
The purpose behind Jinnah Society, KCFR and Board of Management Quaid-e-Azam House Museum is to propagate the vision, principles and ideals of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah as a nation-building exercise. It is for this reason that while constituting the Board of Management, Quaid-e-Azam House Museum was also labeled as an institute of nation-building. Hence, the motive behind all events at Quaid-e-Azam House Museum, including the Declamation Contest,is to engage the youth of Pakistan — as more than 50 per cent of Pakistan’s population is under the age of 30 years – and provide them with historical facts regarding the struggle and establishment of Pakistan, and its hopes and aspirations to become a country which will achieve peace, prosperity and progress, thus fulfilling the hopes of both Muhammad Iqbal,the Poet Philosopher, and Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
