"Perseverance, persistent hard work and most importantly, one's determination to achieve the targets they set for themselves are three main factors to achieve academic success".
These are words of a brilliant youth Saad Jahanzeb Khan who is currently working as a Supervisory Senior in the Chartered Accountancy firm after passing his CA Final Exams, conducted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan this year.
Saad had his primary and secondary schooling from The City School, securing 6 As in O' Level and 2 As in A' Level examinations. After A' Levels, he joined the Tabani's School of Accountancy to pursue the Chartered Accountancy (CA) qualification. "While it was an arduous journey, by the Grace of Allah, I was able to secure a Gold Medal in my CA Intermediate exams.
I was awarded the Kasbati Memorial Gold Medal for outstanding performance in Module C and Module D for ICAP's Foundation/Intermediate Spring 2006 (March 2006) Examination. Thereafter I joined A. F. Ferguson & Co, a firm of chartered accountants, to complete the requisite training period for CA candidates and have recently qualified as a chartered accountant after passing all my exams in November 2009, I will be a certified chartered accountant".
From the beginning Saad realised that "due to the demanding nature of studies and the high level of educational standards, the pass-rate in the examination of chartered accountancy course is relatively low". Evaluating factors involved in his success Saad says "I would put it down firstly to the Grace of Allah, the efforts and prayers of my parents, the commitment and efforts of my teachers, the help of friends and siblings and on my part: persistent hard work".
Saad emphasises that effective study planning is important for every student to perform better in exams and to achieve his target. "There is an old saying that failing to plan is planning to fail. The demanding nature of my studies, alongwith the training meant less time for extra-curricular and social activities, which I could not neglect altogether.
So I had to reorganise my daily routine and effective planning was inevitable for me to devote adequate time to all aspects of my academic life. During the course of the study, I have faced many challenges and problems which include maintaining a balance between my studies, my work life and my family and social life, which I overcome with effective planning".
Saad is confident that the hectic study pattern of CA course has trained him to make difficult decisions easily "Prioritising has been an integral part of my academic tenure. This, along with my experiences during the training period, I believe will help me make sound judgements and take difficult decisions in both my professional and personal life".
Recounting CA as the biggest challenge of his academic life Saad says "Though many exams and test during the earlier period of one's academic life seem to have been quite simple in retrospect, every examination from primary school onwards is big challenge at the time one takes them. Nevertheless, I'll still have to say CA has definitely been the most challenging.
Why? Well, demanding studies, hectic exam schedules, long working hours with less time for studies, etc. In addition to our studies, meeting strict deadlines is part and parcel of our professional demands. During the course of one's CA training period, the ability to handle stress and pressure and manage the demands of your clients and peers gets embedded in your nature".
Advocating the use of technology, for the preparation of the exams, Saad says "with the rapidly evolving role of technology in our lives, computers and the World Wide Web have in general become an integral part of our daily lives. A lot of relevant information, not otherwise available on hard copy, can be readily found over the internet.
The huge amount of reference material, study guides and notes, past papers and solutions, examiner comments, professional magazines, newspaper articles and other resources available online helped me immensely in preparing for my exams". Saad says that he is lucky to have parents, who gave him the discretion to choose his own career, "but not without giving me insights into various fields and careers and advising me on what they felt was right for me.
While aptitude implies natural abilities and skills, it also encompasses the capacity of a person to learn. Hence, without aptitude, a student is unlikely to excel in any field or subject". He adds "while apparently distinct, hard work and aptitude are not unrelated, as usually hard working students are often characterised by high aptitude".
Saad holds commercialisation and poor government policies responsible for the rapid decline of education standards he says "Teaching is a very respectable profession. However, commercialisation has gradually swept into this reputed field. While a few teachers may have succumbed to this evil, I would also blame the inappropriate government policies and their inadequate implementation by the respective authorities as the culprits for the degradation of education standards.
Neither is education part of our national plans, nor does it seem do be given much priority. Furthermore, society in general has to take most of the blame, as it has not made its due contribution to the same. However, I do not see the future as bleak as it may seem, as the existence of educationists and visionaries and their continuous efforts is likely to, one day, elevate our literacy rate and eventually change the fate of our beloved nation".
Saad emphasises that teacher's modus operandi and aptitude of the student are necessary to motivate the process of early learning in children. "An ideal teacher should have an effective teaching approach, have the ability to indulge pupils in the topic being studied and have such a teaching style, which gives students a good grasp on the subject".
"Fortunately, I've been blessed with teachers who have developed my interests, not just to the extent of the syllabus, but towards the respective subjects in general. Furthermore, once you're at the professional qualification stage of your academic career, your motivation has less to do with how good the teacher is, and more to do with you qualifying and your career growth".
Supporting the statement that education can change the faith of the nation, Saad expresses his views "Through education, a nation gains the insight to distinguish between right and wrong, to decide what is good for it and what is not, to harness its skills in the right direction and work collectively and constructively for the betterment of all. The example of post-world war Japan is a testament to this statement".
Saad has strong love and affection for his country "No matter where I go, no matter which other nationalities I get, I'll always prefer to be identified as a Pakistani. What makes other nationalities more attractive to us? Well the sacrifices and efforts of their people to make their country a better place for their coming generations. I believe it is high time that we do that, too, its time we get to work and make this nation of ours the greatest place of all, for our coing generations.