By Abdullahi Salad - Reporter
MOGADISHU, (Dawan) 9 August 2026 — Sumaya Hassan Abshir and Balqisa Muhammad Umar Muhammad took first and second place in the Banadir Regional Grade 8 exams, with girls securing the top two positions this year.
Sumaya Hassan Abshir of Mahmoud Harbi School in Warta Nabadda district was the top student with an average score of 96.88%.
Balqisa Muhammad Umar Muhammad of Geerle School in Dayniile district finished second with 96.25%. Ahmad Abdi Nasir Abdullahi of Al-Basa'ir Al-Mithaliyah School in Dayniile placed third with 95.88%, according to the Banadir Regional Education Directorate.
The Directorate announced Sunday that 44,017 students passed out of 45,452 candidates, for an overall pass rate of 96.8%.
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Director General Abdirahman Ali Mohamed said 1,435 students failed, equivalent to 3.2% of candidates.
Girls had fewer failures than boys. A total of 546 girls failed compared with 889 boys. Of those who passed the exams, girls made up 45.47% and boys 51.38%, according to figures released by the Directorate.
The Directorate said the names of the top 10 students would be published on its official page. High-performing students will receive books, school uniforms and other educational materials, as well as four-year scholarships covering secondary school.
Students and parents dissatisfied with the results may request a review of examination papers. Students, parents and subject teachers will be permitted to inspect the papers during the review.