Saskia Twahir: Top Performer
Of the 13,329 candidates who wrote the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) this year, on April 12 and 13, Saskia Twahir of the School of the Nations managed to garner 524 marks out of the overall 529 marks.
Gaining just five marks shy of the total, 12-year-old Saskia attributed her success to her parents, especially her mother and her God. Though many believed that she would have done exceedingly well, she did not believe she would emerge as the country’s top performer.

The trail she has begun to blaze is far from over despite her indecisiveness of her aspirations. She underscored, “hopefully in the future, I’d like to attend an Ivy League University.” The Ivy League institutions are ranked as the most prestigious colleges in the United States and have world-wide acclaim. Twahir also mentioned that one day, she’d like to be a businesswoman as she has plans to take over her father’s Knight Rider Bus Service business.
The top-performer nevertheless related that she was not focused solely on academics, rather she was also engaged in extra-curricular activities. She attended the E.R. Burrowes School of Art and swims as a hobby.

* Antonia Dey:
The Academy of Excellence student, Antonia Dey, could not believe that she had managed to earn a spot as one of the top performers. The second-place holder, did not attend any lessons but would revise early in the morning, during the day and in the nights.
With English as her favourite subject, 11-year-old Antonia said that she would like to be a writer someday. She is also excited about attending Queen’s College, following in the footsteps of her two older sisters.

Xiana Chabilal:
Xiana Chabilal of the Graham’s Hall Primary scored 523 marks this year and second place.
She said that she gave up all her gadgets and studied relentlessly, and was confident that her sacrifices would lead her to achieve a top spot. As a basketball player and a dancer however, she was able relax even with her rigorous studying.
With Mathematics as her favourite subject, Xiana is excited to attend Queen’s College and pursue her dreams of becoming a pediatrician.

* Amelia Sugrim:
Gaining second position also was Amelia Sugrim of the Academy of Excellence. Gaining the second highest mark in the country came as a bit of a surprise for Amelia, but she was very consistent in achieving top positions throughout her school life.
The young girl did not attend any extra lessons, as she was very diligent in her own studies. She expressed gratitude to God, her parents and her teachers.

* Clifton Bacchus:
Copping second position was a ‘50/50’ for Clifton Bacchus of the Mae’s Under 12 School.
“When you’re preparing for these examinations, you don’t need to go overboard with the studying. You need to have fun in between,” Clifton remarked.
The young man, who earned 523 marks, related that during this time, he only attended mathematics lessons and engaged in roller-skating for fun. As an aspiring pilot, he favours mathematics and highly anticipates attending Queen’s College come September.

* Gabriella Roberts:
With Social Studies as the hardest subject she wrote, Gabriella Roberts expressed her elation at being one of the five persons who scored second place for this year’s examinations with a total of 523 marks. She is also excited about attending Queen’s College.

The young girl noted that she did not attend many extra lessons, rather she focused on her studies at the Success Elementary School and attended the extra lessons given by that school. Her success is attributed to God, her family, friends and teachers.
While not focusing a lot on extra-curricular activities, she adores animals. Thus, she aspires to become a veterinarian.

* Emily Lalchand:
“I knew that I would’ve done well, but I didn’t expect to do this well,” said Emily Lalchand of the Academy of Excellence who copped seventh place with a total of 522 marks.
Late-night studying with her mother was perhaps one of the principle factors of Emily’s success, according to her. Another factor would be the continued support and encouragement from her parents and teachers.
Even with the late studying and the drive to succeed, Emily related that she didn’t forget that relaxation was necessary and she would swim as a hobby.

* Jerod Roberts:
Also among the cadre of top NGSA performers, is Jerod Roberts of the Marian Academy, who said he felt “really good”. Roberts was able to garner 522 marks, earning him seventh position also. For his success, he thanked God, his parents, his teachers and his principal.
Jerod related that he studied with his mother, and they both devised a strategy to “reason” questions and think outside of the box, in an attempt to apply the concepts learnt and not only regurgitate the notes given to him.
He aspires to be a pilot, and decided that to achieve this he will have to focus on prerequisite subjects for this field.

* Tia Chung:
Though expecting to be among the top performers of this year’s examinations, 11-year-old Tia Chung of the Success Elementary School, was full of words to describe how she felt about gaining 522 marks and the seventh position in the country.
“I feel great, amazing,happy,” she exclaimed and added, “I did expect this because I was working very hard before the examination and I had a feeling it would have paid off.”
While she related that her hobby is to read novels in her spare time, she also likes listening to music, look at few movies and playing cricket. Tia aspires to be a neurologist.

* Tristan Richards:
Tristan Richards of the Dharmic Rama Krishna Primary school scored seventh place with 522 marks. The young man was at a loss for words but said that he knew that he would’ve done well at the examinations.
“My mother wanted me to balance myself,” Richards said and explained that it is for this reason, he didn’t attend any extra lessons and continued to play games. Also, he participated in karate as a hobby.

* Kripa Thani:
Another seventh- place performer who earned 522 marks was Kripa Thani from the Mae’s Under 12 school.
“There are so many words to express how I feel right now,” Kripa said but affirmed that she knew she would have done well. The path to success was not easy for Kripa however, since she related that after her school ended at 17:30 hours she attended lessons and still went home to study after.
“Of course I did not sleep too late, because when you burn the midnight oil- chances are you might not do as well,” she stated.
While her favourite subject is science, Thani wants to be a businesswoman.

* Raj Seeram:
Overjoyed, Raj Seeram could not believe that he was able to earn seventh place with 523 marks despite all of his late night studying. He related, “After doing my home-work, I would usually study late into the night.”
While not participating in any sporting activities, the Swami Purnananda Primary student participated in many science projects, which makes sense because he aspires to become a scientist.

* Muhammad Bacchus:

Proud of himself was Muhammad Bacchus of the Isa Islamic school who also scored seventh place with 522 marks.
“Well, I expected to do this well because I put in a lot of hard work,” Bacchus expressed but also related that leading up to the examinations, he was not involved in any extra-curricular activities.
He also exclaimed, “I like math!” and highlighted that his dream job would be that of an auditor.

* Brandon Gouveia:
While disappointed that he could have done better, seventh-place holder, Brandon

Gouveia, related that he directed much of his focus and time on studying for the examinations.
“I studied a lot,” Brandon stressed. He noted that he attended extra lessons on Saturdays and would sometimes stay back after school to push in some extra preparation.
Hailing from the Academy of Excellence, he exclaimed that he is very enthusiastic about attending his “dream school”- Queen’s College. Since his favourite subject is Science, he is aspiring to become a chemist.

* Tristan Persaud:
Excited and happy about accomplishing “this great achievement” was Tristan Persaud of

the Academy of Excellence who scored seventh position with 522 marks. He, too, expressed gratitude towards God, his parents, his teachers and friends.
Preparing for this year’s examinations, Persaud stated, “I did frequent revision and I read a lot.” However, he would also play sports like cricket and football with his family to relax.