THE results of the most recent sitting of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) are out, and 15-year-old  Anuradha Dev of Queen’s College and 16-year-old Shalita Appadu of New Amsterdam Multilateral School  have emerged jointly as the nation’s best two performing students. The results were released yesterday at a press conference held by Minister of Education Mr. Shaik Baksh.  Chronicle reporters sought initial comments from some of the nation’s top performers. Following are their comments: 

Sixteen-year-old Shalita Devi Appadu of New Amsterdam Multilateral School has shared the country’s top position with Anuradah Dev, having secured 15 Grade Ones in the recently concluded  Caribbean  Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.
She described her success as ‘great and satisfying’.
However, she emphasises that she attained 16 subjects, due to a double award in Agriculture Science.
The product of a closely knit working-class family, the teenager was quick to offer congratulation to her peers who sat the examination. “They worked hard; we had to make an effort. Be proud of what you’ve got.” Appadu said.
The daughter of a former chauffeur, and a housewife who supplements her husband’s income by manning a village grocery shop, she plans to create history in her family by studying medicine. “My father wants me to do general medicine, but I want to specialize, maybe in cardiology but I have got a lot of time to decide. My mother however, would support whatever decision I make,” she said smiling.

When this newspaper visited the home of the Dev family yesterday, we learnt from her aunt, Indira Mc Coon, who lives next door, that  Anuradha and her family are currently out of the country on vacation and are due to return sometime soon. Anuradha is the elder of two children for her parents, Ravi Dev and Mrs. Padmini Dev.  The family resides at Ocean View, Uitvlugt, Region Three.

Mc Coon who shared in the joy of her niece’s success, referred to Anuradha as a brilliant child who has always demonstrated a winning streak throughout her academic life.  A former student of Leonora Primary School, five years ago, she was also top performing student at the Common Entrance Examination, and was justly awarded a place at Queen’s college.

Mariesa Jagnanan, 16, of Queen’s College, achieved 14 Grade Ones at the CSEC exams.    According to Jagnanan, she was expecting to do well in her exams since she studied very hard, but she admitted that she had some doubts.
Jagnanan attributed her success to God and her mother and teachers who assisted her greatly. She aspires to be an economist and plans to pursue her studies immediately at the University of Guyana.

Asaf Mohamed, also from Queen’s College, was extremely elated to attain 14 Grade Ones at CSEC. The 16-year-old said he was expecting to do well, since he studied hard for every subject. He said he monitored his studying by cutting back on television and the internet.
Mohamed, who aims to be a geologist, said all his thanks goes to God, his parents and teachers who encouraged and supported him in every step. He plans to continue his education through Sixth Form at Queen’s, and then on to the University of Guyana.

Sanjiv Nandalal, of Best Village, West Coast Demerara, also comes in for kudos, having gained 13 Grade Ones.  The top performing student of Saraswati Vidya Niketan school at Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara, Nandalal is amongst the nation’s top performers, and shares the ‘13 Grade Ones’ category with five other persons from other schools.

Overjoyed at receiving the good news, Sanjiv modestly asserted, “I am very excited, but it was a surprise to me, because I never expected such results.” 
But his Principal, Swami Aksharananda thought differently.  Sharing the joy of the occasion, the Principal said that he was always impressed with Sanjiv’s performance and considered him a credit to the school.
Reflecting on the challenges faced while preparing for the examinations, such as staying up late studying at nights, and extra lessons, Sanjiv said he eventually came to see the exclusion of certain ‘fun things’ from his daily agenda as deferred gratification, or sacrifice in the furtherance of an end.  But whilst his favourite subject was Mathematics, Sanjiv also has a passion for Information Technology, and would initially explore becoming a P.C. Technician, with an eye on becoming an IT Consultant or Systems Analyst.  

Amrita Milling, 16, of Queen’s College, said she is very much surprised to achieve 13 Grade Ones at this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Examination.
Milling noted that she did not get to study properly for five of her subjects and she was a bit worried. However, she was able to do a last minute cramming which eventually paid off.
The aspiring gynecologist gives all her thanks first to God and to her parents and teachers who supported her throughout her exams.
She turns 17 on Monday, and plans to enroll for Sixth Form at Queen’s then to the University of Guyana.

Alicia Bankay of Queen’s College, who obtained 12 Grade Ones at CSEC gave all her thanks and praise to God and her parents and teachers for their support.
Bankay said without prayers and the tremendous help from her parents and her business teacher, she could not have succeeded.
The 16 year old, who is aspiring to be a material scientist, plans to continue her studies by enrolling at School of the Nations for ‘A’ Levels.

Grabbing some 14 Grade Ones and coming out among the top ten achievers, Nicholas Koylass of  Queen’s College said he is very proud to have attained this success at the CSEC exams.
“I feel very happy, and this was unexpected; however I want to thank everyone who helped me to come this far, God, my teachers, my parents, my friends, and it worked,” Koylass said.

The 16-year-old said his plan is to further his studies through the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination in the area of Science, as he is an aspiring neurosurgeon.

A 17-year-old student of the St Rose’s High School, Tishana Arthur, who secured 12 Grade Ones  said it is hard to believe that she came out as the school’s top student and more so, among the top performers nationally.

“My sleep I had to sacrifice, that was a major sacrifice for me; I want to thank my parents, my teachers, my friends and my God; without them I don’t think that I could have done this,” Arthur said.

Arthur is a business student and her main goal is to further her study in the field of accounts, as she aspires to be an auditor.