PRESIDENT Donald Ramotar has extended congratulations to those students in Guyana who performed well at this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (SCEC) examinations.

President Ramotar said the Guyanese students have performed so well they have made all of Guyana proud, and he, in particular, is extremely proud of them.

He said that though the complete results for the entire Caribbean have not as yet been released, he is confident that Guyana will once again emerge on top.

“Although the results are not out as yet, I am willing to bet that they (the students) have made us proud once again, (and) that Guyana will top the Caribbean,” President Ramotar said.

Last year, Sarah Hakh of Abram Zuil Secondary School on the Essequibo Coast copped the top position in the entire Caribbean with 16 grade ones; while, in the previous year, Anuradha Dev of Queen’s College had been adjudged the best overall performer in the Caribbean with her 15 grade ones.
Guyana has also obtained the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) Award for best overall performing student at CSEC in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. This year, it is very likely that Guyana may once again cop the top position, since top student Zimeena Rasheed of Anna Regina Secondary School wrote a record 20 subjects, the largest number of subjects ever written by any candidate at this Caribbean exam. Rasheed earned the top spot in Guyana with 18 grade ones and two grade twos.

Meanwhile, addressing a gathering at the National Economic Forum 2013 at the Guyana International Conference Centre (GICC) yesterday, President Ramotar said: “our investment in education is beginning to pay dividends to us once again, and we’re beginning to see that we have the capacity and the brainpower as any other country in the world.”

He also said it is now for the country to harness that capacity and direct it towards its development.