Four Guyanese students were awarded for their outstanding performances at the Carib-bean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations at the opening ceremony of the 40th Meeting of the Caribbean Examinations Council last Thursday.

Yana-Marisa Edwards

According to a GINA release, Queen’s College student Yana-Marisa Edwards received the award for the most outstanding performance overall at the CSEC exams. She obtained 15 Grade ones and a Grade two. Her colleagues Aaron Haralsingh copped the award for best performance in Science, while Suraj Maraj obtained the Business Studies award. Haralsingh achieved 11 Grade ones and a Grade three, while Mattai obtained 12 Grade ones.

Rahul Lall, of Anna Regina Secondary School, won the award for best performance in Technical/ Vocational subjects. He achieved 14 grades ones and two Grade twos.

Students from St Vincent, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados were also honoured at the event.

Aaron Haralsingh

Meanwhile, at the council’s official meeting Professor Nigel Harris was re-elected as chairman for a second term after being initially elected in September 2006.
 
Additionally at the gathering, Barbadian Minister of Education and Human Resources Ronald Jones announced that work on the proposed new CXC Headquarters will begin in March of next year and will be finished in November of 2010.

Anna Regina Multilateral School maintains excellent performance

The Anna Regina Multilateral School

In recent times, the Anna Regina Multilateral School has been making headlines with the success it has achieved at examinations both nationally and regionally.
The school’s success was again evident in the 2008 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate results. Three of its students were among the top ten of the country.
Rahul Lall obtained fourteen grades ones and two grades two, while his classmate Vickram Deonarine gained thirteen ones and two grade twos. Another student, Yashoda Narine, walked away with eleven ones.
This senior secondary school, situated at Cotton Field village, on the Essequibo Coast, was established in 1973.
Overwhelmed with joy at another outstanding year, Head teacher, Miss Mohni Ramlackhan, showered praises on her hard working staff who she said have played an essential part in her students’ successes. Miss Mohni, basking with pride, strongly believes that the Anna Regina Secondary School has certainly arrived.
With a warm smile she shared with Kaieteur News the rich history of the school identifying some basic academic facts about the school’s top achievers over the years. According to her, the school has inherited a good system and continues to work with it. Concerning the preparation for the CSEC examinations which students wrote in May-June of this year, she said no extra lessons were offered to the fifth formers of the school.  Students who, however, attended lessons did so of their free will.
Acting Deputy Head, Sir Shadoe said that students who wrote the examination capitalized on their lunch hours and break periods to study.
During those short periods, both teachers and students spent quality time confronting the most difficult subjects. Those hours spent together, he believes, prepared students for the success which they have achieved.
Senior Mistress Judy Lall said that she started her teaching career at the age of sixteen, in 1973. Choosing her words carefully, she described both Rahul and Vickram Deonarine as quiet, smart and witty.
She also said that both students loved a challenge. Miss Lall taught both boys Literature and English A. She stressed that  Rahul and Vickram both have a good command of the English language and also exhibited a fondness for reading. 
She says she is most proud when she sees her students excel as it gives her the greatest satisfaction.
The Anna Regina Multilateral School offers eight additional subjects at the fifth form level.
The school is also involved in a school feeding program of which the prefect body is a part . According to Miss Lall, last year the prefect body visited the Capouey Mission on the Essequibo Coast, and made a donation of clothing, books and pencils to students in that area. The school’s student body is also involved in sports, namely cricket. Last year, the girls under-fifteen team was afforded the opportunity of participating in a friendly game against their counterpart in Barbados.
Over the years, Miss Judy noted that the Anna Regina Multilateral has been participating in the J. O. F Haynes and the National Bank for Trade Industry and Commerce debates and has emerged as true champions on many occasions.
“Multi,” as it is called, was awarded the Anne Blue scholarship in the year 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007.
This award is offered to only one student in Guyana but incredibly, five students from the Anna Regina Secondary were recipients.
Asma Sharief, Shaneer Reid, Shaleeza Reid and Sarah Yassin were the awardees.
Students also participate in the National Third Form Examinations and in 2005, three students were placed in the top three. 
They were Shafraz Sharief, Avinash Persaud and Gibron Rahim.
Coping the top prizes in 2006 at the same examination were Rahul Lall and Vickram Deonarine.
The teacher believes that it is important for children to also be involved in co-curricula activities. This, she says, will help students to be fully rounded.
In 2001, the Anna Regina Multilateral School produced a top student at the Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC) in the person of David Gooray. Gooray obtained ten grades one.
In 2007, Shafraz Sharief obtained fourteen grade ones and was declared top student.

The announcement was made yesterday by Minister of Education Shaik Baksh at a specially convened press briefing at his 26 Brickdam, Georgetown, Office.

He disclosed Persaud gained 552 marks of the examination’s total of 578.

The minister said some 17,630 students countrywide sat the examination and they were initially graded for five per cent in Grade Two and 10 per cent in Grade Four.

The final examination in Grade Six, he explained, accounted for the other 85 per cent of the examination and the total of these assessments in English, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies were combined to give the overall grade.

He noted that the highest possible score obtainable in English was 146, Mathematics 140, Science 140 and Social Studies 152.

In second position is Sayyid Rajab of Isa Islamic School, with 556 marks, followed by Arianna Seeraj of St. Margaret’s Primary, with 553 marks in third place, and Shahrazaed Khan, also of Isa Islamic School, with 552 marks in the fourth spot.

The fifth position is shared by Ridwaan Safi of St. Margaret’s Primary, Zimeena Rasheed of CV Nunes Primary, Crystal Ramdayal of West Ruimveldt Primary, and Jonelle Europe of ABC Academy, with 551 marks each.

Kavita Sawh of Dharmic Rama Krishna, who scored 549 marks, secured the ninth place, while the tenth spot was shared by Shaphan Hestick and Cecil Cox both of the New Guyana School, as well as Sharmila Ramlall of Leonora Primary and Eunice Hammond of St. Margaret’s Primary. They all scored 548 marks.

President Registers PRESIDENT Bharrat Jagdeo posing with staff of the Guyana Elections Commission yesterday. PRESIDENT Bharrat Jagdeo being registered by a staff of the Guyana Elections Commission(GECOM) yesterday.

The Minister disclosed some 147 students from outside of Georgetown are eligible for President’s College.

The schools they come from are:

Region Two: CV Nunes Primary, Fisher Primary, Taymouth Manor Primary, Hampton Court Primary, Jacklow Primary, Sparta Primary, Queenstown Primary, Good Hope Primary, Kabakaburi Primary and Al Madinah Islamic Academy.

Region Three: Kawall Primary, Vreed-en-Hoop Primary, Windsor Forest Primary, Leonora Primary, Met-en-Meerzorg Primary, Philadelphia Primary, Greenwich Park Primary, Cornelia Ida Primary, Uitvlugt Primary, Wales CHS and Saraswat Primary.

Region Four: Helena Primary, Clonbrook Primary, Golden Grove Primary, Enmore Hope Primary, Enterprise Primary, Strathspey Primary, Annandale Primary, Lusignan Primary, Mon Repos Primary, La Bonne Intention Primary, Chateau Margot Primary, Montrose Primary, Vryheid’s Lust Primary, Covent Garden Primary, Supply Primary, Craig Primary, Grove Primary, Eccles Primary and Providence Primary.

Region Five: Mahaicony Primary, Lachmansingh Primary, Zealand Primary, Bath Primary and No 29 Primary.

In Region Six: Corriverton Primary, No 48 Primary, Auchlyne Primary, Friends Primary, Gangaram Primary, Albion Primary, Cumberland Primary, Rose Hall Estate Primary, Sheet Anchor Primary, Skeldon Primary, Crabwood Creek Primary and St. Therese Primary.

And Region Ten One Mile Primary, Regma Primary and Watooka Day Primary.

Analysis and Distribution
Baksh pointed out that the samples percentage taken from male to female candidates for 2007 when compared to 2008, was quite similar.

This year he noted that some 108 candidates were sampled of which 43 per cent were male and 63 per cent were female, in comparison to 2007, where the figure was 39 per cent males to 64 per cent females from a sample of 103.

The minister stressed that of the distribution of the top 108 candidates, eight candidates came from six schools in Region Two, with the top school being CV Nunes Primary.

Eleven pupils, he said, came from three schools in Region Three and Leonora Primary emerged the top school.

In Region Four, six of the pupils came from five schools, all the schools performing almost equally compared to a staggering 75 candidates from 20 schools in Georgetown Baksh said.

From the top 108 candidates, the minister pointed out, 16 came from St. Margaret’s Primary, nine from Leonara Primary, six each from Wales and the New Guyana School.

Also, Graham’s Hall Winfer Garden’s and West Ruimveldt Primary schools each produced six of those pupils he said.

Private versus Public Schools
Baksh noted that the top 100 students from private schools have fluctuated from 2006 to 2008, pointing out that in 2006 the number was 35, but increased three places to 38 in 2007, and then declined to 29 this year.

He expressed satisfaction with students’ performance in English this year, pointing out that a 32.9 per cent pass was recorded, compared to the 20 per cent last year.

Passes in Mathematics also increased from 29 per cent last year to 35.4 per cent this year. The performance in science increased as well, moving from 30 per cent in 2007 to 34 per cent in 2008.

However, he lamented that the only 24 per cent of candidates who sat the Social Studies examination were able to score 50 per cent and more, in contrast to 36 per cent in 2007.

Baksh said that overall, he was pleased with the results, except for Social Studies and that will be a matter of internal enquiry by his ministry.

Apart from that, he stressed that the results indicated that the work in the education sector is bearing fruit, especially the Interactive Radio Instruction (IRI) mathematics programme in pilot schools.