THIS is an open letter to all the secondary schools in Region 10, where as Chairman of the Regional Education Committee of Region 10, and Regional Chairman I write to place on record the sincere congratulations of the Regional Democratic Council of Region 10 to those students who would have turned in exemplary performances at these examinations this year.
All 10 of the top positions for Region 10 at the CXC-CSEC examinations for 2010 have been claimed by students from the Mackenzie High School, and so this institution is indeed deserving of our warmest commendations for its sterling showing in this regard. These students are:
1. Meletia Hossanah
2. Winnette Smartt
3. Keon Flemming
4. Toshanna Allicock
5. Ornise Gordon
6. Liza Johnson
7. Phylida Gomes
8. Joy-Ann Claxton
9. Ruth Inniss
10. Savita Kum

I am convinced that this commendable performance by the students of this school was only possible by virtue of the invaluable efforts of the staff and the staunch support of the parents and guardians of these students, apart from the committed efforts of the students themselves, and stands as testimony to the rewards offered to those who are diligent in their pursue of excellence.
Our Council has been ever vocal on the need for serious effort to be put into lifting the standard of education delivery in Region 10 through individual effort, and while the Mackenzie High School is to be commended, this performance also highlights a serious challenge to the other secondary schools in Region 10, and urges them to step up and claim their places on this list of commendations in the future.
An examination of the statistics from this examination over the past years would reveal that our Region’s overall pass rate for subjects at this examination of Grades One to Three has recorded a slight improvement, standing at some 76.4 per cent. However, we are also grappling with seriously deficient performances in Mathematics and English, all of which is crucial to our overall development and will continue to engage the earnest attention of the Regional Education Committee, the Region 10 Parent Teachers Association and other stakeholders in the process of education delivery in our Region.
Again, please accept our commendations for the hard work put in by the teachers and students who were successful at this year and we wish you all every success in the future.