Azra Hoosen | ah@radioislam.co.za
15 January 2025 | 10:30 CAT
3 min read

KwaZulu-Natal’s Class of 2024 made the region proud with an outstanding 89.5% pass rate, and Atiyyah Limalia, a student from Orient Islamic School, was among those recognised for her exceptional achievement. She was acknowledged as one of the top learners in the country, placing second in the independent school category at the Durban ICC on Tuesday.

In an interview with Radio Islam International, Atiyyah shared her thoughts on the momentous occasion and her journey to success. “I’m extremely proud of myself, but, you know, when we learn about Islam, you’re supposed to stay humble about it,” she said. “Shukr, it is a momentous occasion, and I’m so proud of all the hard work that I’ve put through to achieve this.”

Reflecting on her experience at the ICC, she described the long day filled with speeches from important figures in education. “It was definitely a long day. It was filled with a lot of speeches from very important people in the Department of Education, and it was really good to hear about all the things that the KZN Class of 2024 had achieved.”

Atiyyah’s journey at Orient Islamic School has spanned over 12 years, and she considers it a second home. “I’ve actually been in Orient from the time I was in grade 1, so for 12 years of my life,” she shared. One of the highlights of her time at the school was being elected as head girl at the end of grade 11, which she described as an honour. “I had the honour of being head girl during matric, and now I brought another, how do I say it, a prestigious award to my school,” she said proudly.

Atiyyah mentioned her inclination toward the sciences. “For me, I normally incline towards the science subjects, so particularly maths and physics,” she said. Although she found languages like English and Afrikaans challenging, she worked hard and managed to achieve distinctions in both. “I struggled with those languages, English and Afrikaans, but I had achieved distinctions in them because I worked hard. I put my effort towards them.”

She credits much of her success to the unwavering support of her teachers. “I can’t choose a particular teacher because all my teachers had played a very pivotal role from the time I was in grade 1,” she said. “Everyone had played a very big role in my achievements today.”

When it came to managing the pressure, especially during her final exams, Atiyyah found solace in her faith. “100% it’s Islam,” she said. “The thing that got me through was my zikr, my daily zikr. I woke up for Tahajjud almost every single day. That was the only thing that could get me through the day, dealing with that kind of stress. My Sallah, my dua… it’s just that time where I used to allocate at least one hour after Asr to just sit down and relax and enjoy my connection and read Quran. That is the only way that I could have dealt with my emotions during this very difficult year.”

Family support was also a crucial part of her journey, especially after the loss of her father in 2023, during her grade 11 year. “I lost my dad in 2023,” she shared, her voice tinged with emotion. “Instead of using it as something that held me back, someone told me something extremely important when my father passed away: ‘Do what would have made him proud.’ That single line has kept me going every single day.”

She took great pride in knowing that her father would have been incredibly proud of her achievements. “I know that today, if he was here, he would have been the most proud of me,” she said. “I’m so excited to know that I’ve made him proud, and I’ve brought honour to the name that I carry.” [May Allah grant him the highest stage in Jannah. Ameen]

For those who will be following in her footsteps, Atiyyah has a message for the Class of 2025. “The most important thing for people to do is to get mentally prepared for this year,” she advised. “It is not an easy year. It’s filled with a roller coaster of emotions. You are going to feel pressured, you are going to feel expectations, and the stress of matric. But getting yourself mentally prepared from the beginning to deal with it is the most important thing you can do for yourself.”

She encouraged future matriculants to stay grounded and handle the pressure with a calm mind. “The important thing is to get yourself mentally prepared,” she said. “And I wish the best of luck to the future matriculants.”

Atiyyah’s journey is one of resilience, hard work, and unwavering faith, and her message to others is clear: with dedication, preparation, and a strong support system, anything is possible.

LISTEN to the full interview with Ml Habib Bobat and Atiyyah Limalia, top learner at Orient Islamic School, here.