Staff Reporter
Karachi: The grand finale of Karachi’s annual inter-school declamation contest was held on Wednesday at the historic Quaid-e-Azam House Museum, bringing together students from across the city to compete in one of the longest-running academic competitions organized by the Jinnah Society, the Board of Management of Quaid-e-Azam House Museum, and the Karachi Council on Foreign Relations (KCFR).
A total of 34 schools participated in the contest. After a two-day elimination round judged by Akber Merchant and Sara Daniyal, ten institutions qualified for the final stage. These included The City Intermediate College, DHACSS Phase-VIII, The Mama Parsi School, Habib Girls School, Aga Khan School Morning, Graceful Grammar Higher Secondary School Campus 1, New Day School, Ida Rieu Blind and Deaf School, BVS Parsi School and Al-Murtaza School.
The final round was adjudicated by senior journalist Ghazi Salahuddin, Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture founder Noorjehan Bilgrami, and founder of the Jinnah Foundation Naseem Merchant.
Syeda Fatima Zehra of The Mama Parsi School secured first position, followed by Raween Abid of Aga Khan School Morning in second place and Tousif Ahmed of Ida Rieu Blind and Deaf School in third. The winners were awarded trophies and grand prizes.
Organisers said the competition, originally conceived by the Jinnah Society, has been held consistently for more than two decades. Following the transfer of Quaid-e-Azam House Museum to the Sindh government, a Board of Management was formed four years ago under a tripartite memorandum of understanding between the provincial government, Jinnah Society and KCFR.
The Board comprises 18 members representing civil society, philanthropists, government officials and partner organisations. Its principal office-bearers include Liaquat H. Merchant as Senior Vice Chairman, Ikram Sehgal as Vice Chairman, and Commodore (retd) Sadeed Malik as Secretary General, while the Sindh chief minister and chief secretary serve as ex-officio chairman and co-chairman.
Officials said the primary objective of the museum’s educational activities is to promote the vision and principles of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and to engage Pakistan’s youth in nation-building, particularly in view of the country’s large under-30 population.
