In a powerful story of resilience and triumph, Zainab Shafi, the daughter of Dr. Shafi Shihabdeen — who was at the centre of a high-profile false sterilisation allegation in 2019 — has achieved her long-cherished dream of entering medical faculty.

Zainab secured 3 As in the Science stream at the 2024 GCE Advanced Level examination, earning a district rank of 12 and an island rank of 357, paving her way to a prestigious state medical faculty. Her academic excellence was evident even earlier when she scored 9 As at the GCE Ordinary Level examination. From a young age, she had openly spoken of her dream to become a doctor like her father, dedicating herself to serving the people.

Her journey, however, was far from smooth. Following the false allegations against her father, Zainab too became a target of vicious and baseless attacks. She was falsely accused of distributing contraceptive-laced sanitary napkins among her classmates — a cruel rumour that disrupted her school life in Maliyadeva Balika Vidyalaya, Kurunegala. Forced to leave her school, she bravely continued her education across several schools, including a Tamil-medium school in Kalmunai, despite having studied in Sinhala medium until then.