Al Ain Juniors School

Graduation day - Shaking, nervous, and ready to venture out of the high school world. 

This is the beginning and the end of a journey to what our lives will ultimately come to.

 

Al Ain Juniors School was bustling with high voltage energy and emotions as the school felicitated the academic achievers of its 13th batch of 2016-2017, with pomp and gaiety, the graduation day was celebrated on 16th of February, 2017. The graduation Ceremony was a truly momentous occasion on an unprecedented scale.

To cater to the event the ceremony was held, for the first time, in the school’s auditorium which had been recently renovated. The auditorium had been lavishly redecorated. The ceremony played host to guests from a vast spectrum of cultures and family backgrounds, resulting in a vibrant celebratory atmosphere.

Our graduates and their guests were notably impressed by the splendor of our ceremonial traditions and the grandeur of the auditorium in which the ceremonies took place.

Besides the number of dignitaries including Mrs. Tanveer Arshad, Managing Director of AJS, Mr. Arshad Sharif, Chairman of AJS, Ms. Ayisha Siddiqua, Principal of AJS, and Mr. Mohd. Gaffar, Academic head of AJS, the event was presided over by our chief guest Mr. Nayan Vasa Jayshukhlal, HOD and specialist, General surgery, NMC Al Ain.

The convocation had started with the Academic procession which was headed by the academic head followed by the teachers and by the graduates. This was followed by invoking the blessings of the Almighty with the prayer. The Indian national anthem and the UAE national anthem had followed next. Next, the attendees were introduced to all the co-anchors for the ceremony.

To formally invite all the guests and give them a red carpet welcome, Mr. Mohd. Gaffar and Ms. Ayisha Siddiqua were requested to address the gathering.

The teachers, who had, in all these years, taken our hands, opened our minds, and touched our hearts to ignite the fire in us and launch us into the new horizon, were invited upon the stage to be paid a special regard.

It was an immense pleasure that Mrs. Tanveer Arshad and Mr. Arshad Sharif had been invited to the stage to address the gathering and share some inspirational messages to the outgoing batch.

This was followed by our chief guest Mr. Nayan Vasa Jayshukhlal being invited upon the stage to speak a few motivating words. In his convocation speech, he also stated that education should be seen as a stepping stone to character building and societal development. He stressed on higher education as the key to making available a large pool of skilled manpower for our nation and also to shape a student’s personality. He also expressed that the objectives of reform and change in our higher education system must be an expansion, excellence, and inclusion of a transparent framework. He also paid special regard to the exclusion of any distractions that come across, especially, in a student’s journey. The time now is to modernize our education system to build on the existing strengths in light of new understanding of the research-innovation-growth linkage.

A few of the co-anchors were then called upon to the stage to speak a few inspirational words to the graduates. In this process, 5 of the graduates were also called upon to speak on topics stretching from their journey in AJS to how education is related to development in oneself.

Next up was the most awaited moment, conferment of the degrees. The moment, the fruit of hard work and discipline would be finally reaped.

The parents sat, fingers twiddling and biting their lips, waiting for their own flesh and blood to walk up and grab their diplomas. The graduates stood on the stage hands shaking, tapping their feet and anxiously waiting for each name to be called up.

The next moments flashed by very quickly as they all acquired their turns to stand on stage, smiling, and grab their diplomas while their entire journey, in and out of AJS in the past 17 years, was displayed in the background confined in a power point presentation. After grabbing their diplomas, each of them was led down the stage for a photograph with their families, who earnestly waited for their kin.

The conferment of the degrees was proceeded by the tradition of the lighting of the candle. This tradition symbolized ‘the light of knowledge. Having completed their course of studies they had received their light, and now had the responsibility of carrying this to whichever world they lived in. For this purpose, Mrs. Tanveer Arshad was requested to light the candle of each student.  The conferment of degrees, candle lightening ceremony and the photo session had taken place for the girls and boys separately. Following these grand traditions, the students who had outshone in some areas and had been adjusted as the winners were awarded certificates and momentums.

The convocation function was dissolved with the vote of thanks. The evening ended in the hope that these academically bright, sprightly youngsters will make their mark in the world.