STUDENTS of Saraswati Vidya Niketan who excelled during the 2011/2012 academic school year, have been awarded certificates, trophies and plaques.

The awards were for  Best Graduating 2012 student; CSEC graduates, top academic achievers (2011/12), most outstanding contribution to Saraawati Vidya Niketan and scholarship students. There was also the Rupert Gobin Memorial Awards for Best English A and B.
President Donald Ramotar, in his address to the graduates, underscored the importance of education, pointing to the fact that a good education is the foundation on which a country advances.
A country, he said, is measured by its educational standards, as he lauded the future leaders for a job well done.
“Today, you are laying the foundation on which the development of our country, yourself and your community at large, can thrive…a sound education in any society is the pillar on which its economy advances,” he said.
If a country is to successfully eradicate poverty, according to the Head of State, the improvement in quality and standard of education provided is essential.
The achievements in education, he said, coincide with successes evident in Guyana’s educational capacity.
“From 1957 to 1964, Guyanese benefited from the educational opportunities, due to stringent investment by our government….if it was not for the PPP Government, many of us would not have had an education; a lot that we did was destroyed, and when we came back to power in 1992, we worked on rebuilding education,” he said.
Thus far, Universal Primary education has been achieved and efforts are apace to have Universal Secondary education achieved in a few years.
Creating equal opportunities is essential, and the government is proud of its record in this area.
The Head of State said that this move by the government has created possibilities, where Guyanese, regardless of race, colour or creed, can have access to an education.
“If you go to the Rupununi and the many other far-flung hinterland communities that exist, you will see the many secondary schools which exist…these communities had no secondary schools before; this move was geared to further empower a huge section of our population,” he said.
The President, speaking of the thousands of under-privileged children who previously had no access to basic education, charged the students to use the opportunity to make Guyana a better place, by sharing their knowledge and expertise wisely.
The high rate of male drop-outs, according to the President, remains alarming, as he called on male students to not be influenced by those who would have them leaving school.
Parents were also encouraged to give their children the best education possible.
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds encouraged the youths to be productive as they enter the work force, and to always strive for more, academically.
“Our country is on the path to development; and as we work to have more success achieved, your contribution is necessary…I urge you to take up the task of our generation and to work diligently to further advance our country,” he said.
Meanwhile, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, delivering the charge to the students, spoke of the contribution of parents and teachers and the investment made by government, thus far, which has significantly aided in the students excelling.
He added that the teaching profession requires teachers to be humble and dedicated, and called on others to join the work force.
Despite challenges, students have excelled this year, with the top performer from the Caribbean coming from Guyana. This achievement is reflective of the investments made by government over the years.
During the ceremony, the President’s Award of Excellence, which was presented by President Donald Ramotar, was awarded to Best Graduating Student, Bibi Ameena Nazarali, who copped eight distinctions and five Grade Ones.