INTERVIEW WITH ALL ISLANDS 2nd in

ALL MEDIUMS IN G.C.E O/L 2011

By :A.H.Mohamed Rushdi
AumsA Media Unit (2011)

1. Could you please introduce yourself?

Name : M R M Athif
Father- S M Rizan
Mother- S Farisa
Elder brother M R M Rimash
Younger sister M R Sameeha
Village : Paragahadeniya , Kurunegala

2. What are the schools you attended till getting this results ?
Ku/ Mawathagama Roman Catholic Primary School
Maliyadeva College, Kurunegala- Mr R M C P K Rathnayake

3. What are the details of your results?

Science A
Mathematics A
History A
English language A
Sinhala Language and literature A
Buddhism A
Geography A
Appreciation of English literary texts A
Health and Physical education A
Island Rank 2
District rank 1
4. What do you think about this historic achievement?
I am really happy and should thank Allah for making everything possible

5. How did you feel after hearing that you were the 2nd top? Share your feelings
and what happened on that unforgettable day?
The results were released by 16 th of March but the island rankings were not published by the
examination department until 22 nd of March. So I got to know this issue only when I saw it in our
mobile phone as a news alert. Everything became an excitement thereafter. And our telephone kept
ringing without pause. And I was called to the school for some media coverage. It is really unforgettable

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 6. After sitting to the examination, did you feel that you will top the island? Then
what were your expectations after the exam?
Well, my teachers expected an island rank from me. But I really did not have any knowledge as to how
many marks (not precisely a mark but an idea of some sort of range) I should obtain to have an island
rank. But one of our school students had ranked island 10 th in the previous year. So it was a sign post
for me. And after writing the exam i realized that it was the maximum of me and that I have a slight
chance of coming within the top 10 But I never thought that I could rank island second.

7. Were you focused very much from your early ages that you should create a
record in O/L ? or it just came out after your hard work?
To be precise I should say no for both, because all the time my focus was to be complete and be perfect
in what I am doing. I had no idea of ranking at my early ages.
And of course I was not making my work deliberately “hard”. When learning something new always it
was interesting to me and I wanted to explore knowledge so I seldom felt it hard

8. What is your study method? Were there any special methods or secrets?
i tried to understand the core of the contents of any subject just at the moment where the teacher teaches
them. When you have the basics in your head you are equipped at any instance ready to fight! Of course
you should apply different strategies to master different subjects for example maths and science need
less theory and more thinking while history and others need memory and literatures need interest and
love to the subject.

9. How many hours you studied a day? And how?

I had no fixed time to study. When something became a doubt I referred to the books at instance itself

10.Is this results is from a support of tuition classes also? If then to which subjects
you went for tuition? and where?
Yeah I got additional knowledge from them. I went tuition classes for maths science history health and
English literature. All were private institutions.

11.What is the stream you would like to choose for A/L? And what is your
ambition?
I like to study in mathematics stream. To reach as far as i can in mathematics

12.We think that your school played a major role in your achievement ? How was
the role of your school, principal and subject teachers?
Science Mr Chathura thilakaratne
Mathematics Mrs Janaki Athapaththu
History Mr Peiris

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 English language Mr Senanayake
Sinhala Language and literature Mr Kuruwita
Buddhism Ven. Dammarakkitha thero
Geography Mrs Bandumathi menike
Appreciation of English literary text Mr Peiris
Health and Physical education Mr.Lankadikari

A major part of this victory belongs to the school and the teachers not only the teachers of O/L but
also all the teachers who taught me from grade 1 and of curse the principals

13.What was the support given by your parents and family?

Simply my parents were everything for me. and my brother and sister helped me in every aspect I
should remind all my relatives who were of a support for me

14.What kind of extracurricular activities you were engaged during those 11 years
in School? And list the achievements from those
 Scrabble – All island second (team)
 Art - best artist of the school
 A member of English debating association
 Member of Media unit – English editor
 Best sinhala announcer 2008
 Member of Junior board of prefects
 Won a bronze medal at the International Junior Science Olympiad 2009 held in Azerbaijan
 Participated in the Science and Mathematics Olympiad organized by the UNESCO and the Indira
Gandhi National Open University held at New Delhi

15.What kind of religious or spiritual support you had to get this result?
Belief in Allah gave me the strength and support to face all these challenges.

16.Do you have any idea to go for another place for A/Ls? Then where? Why?
No I have decided to study in the same school because it has everything I need and I can spare more
time for my studies at home rather than traveling long distances.

17.What would you like to say as an advice to the coming generation?

Identify your talents and always try to get the maximum out of you don’t get sa tisfied with some mark
listen to the teachers and try to clear everything without leaving anything for the bag of “doubts”

18. Finally, who are the persons you would like to remember from your life at this
moment after this achievement?
Father, mother, family, relatives, teachers, friends, and all the people who gave me the support.

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