TAKING the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) by storm this year is Success Elementary School, located at Providence on the East Bank of Demerara, secured the top spots at this year’s National Grade Six Assessment which was written on April 1 and 2 of this year. 

But apart from securing the top spot overall, the school also secured 24 other spots among the Top 100 achievers.

Copping the top spot with a score of 530 marks was Solomon Cherai, followed by Shania Eastman with 529 marks, both of Success Elementary. Third position was shared among Celine Farinha of Peter’s Hall Primary, and Shreya Persaud and Isabella Hussain, both of Academy of Excellence (Region 3). The trio attained a score of 526 marks each.
Five candidates earned the sixth position, namely: Afeefah London of Success Elementary; Travis Isaacs of All Saints Primary; Bhedesh Persaud of New Guyana School; Reanna McCurchin of St Margaret’s Primary; and Timur Singh of St Gabriel’s Primary. They each scored 525 marks.
These announcements were made yesterday at the National Centre for Education Resource Development (NCERD) by Chief Education Officer Olato Sam, who revealed to the media that while the official results have been released, there is no statistical analysis to compare the current performance to that of last year.
Sam disclosed that the 15,225 candidates who wrote the NGSA would have previously written the National Grade Two and Grade Four assessments earlier at the primary level. As such, the results that were released yesterday gave an overview of candidates’ performances at these three assessments.
“A percentage of the marks gained at the Grades Two and Four assessments were combined with the marks gained at the Grade Six assessment to determine the candidate’s overall score,” the CEO related.

Detailing the impact of the Grade Two and Four assessments on the final results, Sam explained that five per cent of each candidate’s Grade Two score in Mathematics and English Language, and 10 per cent of the Grade Four scores in the same subjects were added to 85 per cent of each candidate’s score of those subjects at the Grade Six assessment. The combined scores in Mathematics and English were then added to the scores gained in Social Studies and Science to arrive at a final score.
As a result, the highest possible standardised scores obtainable were: Mathematics, 138; English, 132; Social Studies, 132; and Science, 133, making the highest possible total score obtainable, 535.
But while increases were recorded in Mathematics, Science and Social Studies, the CEO advised the media that there had been a “slight decrease” in English Language. He failed, however, to explain the reasons for this decrease, and to what extent there had been a decrease, offering rather that a re-examination of the subject area will be done to adequately address the issue.
When pressed further by the media for statistical data on the pass rate for each individual subject area, Sam noted that the examination was not done to determine who “passed” and who “failed”, but rather it was a “placement examination” for students heading to the secondary level.
MOST IMPROVED REGION
Additionally, Region 9 (Upper Takutu-Upper Esequibo) was adjudged the most improved region in the country, according to Sam, with a 6 per cent increase which was noted in candidates securing 50 per cent and more in all four subject areas.

He later lauded this improvement, citing the high emphasis placed on teachers’ training programmes as an initiative which might have assisted in pushing the region towards this achievement.
With 166 students receiving scores taking them in the top 1 per cent of the country, the CEO noted that these students emerged from all regions, except Regions 1, 7 and 8. The top 1 per cent comprises 72 males and 94 females.
The NGSA results were made available Online yesterday for the first time at 5:00pm. It can be accessed through the Ministry’s website: www.education.gov.gy.
Students who achieved a minimum of 517 marks were offered places at Queen’s College (QC). Those awarded a place at The Bishops’ High School are candidates who would have scored between 513 and 516 marks. Saint Stanislaus College awardees would have had to attain between 509 and 512 marks. St. Rose’s High School qualifying marks were between 506 and 508, and those gaining in the range of 503 and 505 gained places at St. Joseph High School.
PRESIDENT’S COLLEGE
Meanwhile, the Education Ministry reiterated that President’s College remains one of the ‘A’ schools in Region 4 (Demerara/ Mahaica). Non-residential places are awarded to candidates in Region 4 from Mahaica to Cummings Lodge, who have attained a minimum score of 493 marks. Residential places are offered to candidates from Regions # 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 who have attained scores of 493 marks and above. A total of 231candidates from schools in the previously mentioned regions are eligible for entry into the school.

Meanwhile, former Minister of Education, Ms Priya Manickchand took to Facebook to commend those children who wrote the NGSA this year.
She wrote in her post, “Warmest congratulations to all the children who sat the NGSA 2015. Special congratulations to Solomon Cherai who topped the country.”

(Additional reporting by Rebecca Ganesh)

By Ravin Singh