A total of 14, 300 candidates from across all 10 administrative regions and 11 educational districts of Guyana wrote the 2019 National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), with 166 candidates making up the top one percent.

The Guyana Chronicle caught up with some of the pupils from this cohort of top academic performers. Shrirish Persaud of the Academy of Excellence, in Region Three, copped the third place position alongside Ethan Bianchini from Marian Academy, Ruth Larson from the Academy of Excellence and Shivani Challu from the Mae’s Under 12 School. They all gained 530 marks.

“I was expecting to get Queen’s College but I didn’t really know that I would be in the top 10. I feel very happy and very excited about my achievements,” Persaud related. For him, NGSA was a bit challenging, since he had enough homework to keep him occupied in the evenings and nights and then he took it upon himself to rise early in the mornings to study. But for him, this is just another stepping stone on his journey towards becoming an aeronautical engineer. With the good results in the bag, he will be spending his August vacation abroad, and is eagerly anticipating his next few years at Queen’s College.

Bianchini also shared that it was a lot of studying and revising the work done in school, but for him it was prayers that gave him the extra edge. He was happy and shocked, simultaneously, when he heard he came third in the country but shared his belief that once you work hard and believe in yourself, nothing is impossible. “And prayers help to calm your nerves,” he said too.

Bianchini will spend the next few years pursuing his secondary education with the hope of one day becoming an attorney-at-law. And the reason for this career choice, according to him, is that he is just intrigued and fascinated by all of the debates that are ongoing in Guyana about dual citizenship and the no-confidence motion.

Then there’s Challu, who highlighted: “I was very shocked, I couldn’t believe it but I know I worked very hard and it was possible.” For her, academic success was made possible only through the massive support she received from her parents, older siblings. In fact, Challu shared: “They always pushed me to do my best and they helped me when I had to stay up late and wake up early in the mornings.” Challu hopes that one day- after many years of further studies of course- she can become a cardiologist.

Sarita Somai from the Success Elementary School gained 529, earning her the seventh place position in the country. Like many of her fellow top performers, she did not imagine that she would be one of the top performers. Nevertheless, she said, “I expected that I would have done well with the amount of work I did and with the amount of help I got from my friends, teachers and parents.”

Ajala Maharaj from Marian Academy shared that seventh place position with Somai, and indicated that she was “kind of shocked” when she found out about her position. For her, NGSA was all about doing her best while still making her family, friends, teachers and principal proud.
But she also stressed: “It wasn’t all about the books and studies, I had time to play with my friends.” Nine students shared the ninth place position, earning the fourth highest set of marks- 528 marks to be precise- overall.

Jaaya Shiwraj from the Academy of Excellence was one of those nine persons and she was so excited when she found out how well she had done. “It was my heart’s desire (to be a top performer),” Jaaya related. “We would have practice work every afternoon and I would push through late hours in the nights and wake up early in the mornings.”
But for her, extra lessons were not necessary. Instead she tried to discipline herself and work, as much as possible, on her own. “When I grow up I want to be a lawyer…I want to help others and help so that the [crime] rate could go down,” she said too.

Aditya Sharma, also from the Academy of Excellence, also placed ninth. While he said that he does feel good about his achievements, coming in the ‘top 10’ for the country did come as a huge surprise for him since he did not believe that he would do this well. In fact, Sharma shared that he thought that he would’ve gotten the Bishop’s High or St. Stanislaus College instead, since he was not the top performer back at this school. He is not sure what to expect from high school as yet, but he is definitely fixated on becoming a scientist one day.

Maaseiah Salikaram, another Success Elementary student, elatedly said that she was thrilled that all of her hard work paid off. She related that it is her aim to one day become a gynaecologist, because she wants to help women.

Akaia Griffith also from the Success Elementary School, said that she did not expect to place ninth in the country, or even do that well, but she affirmed that she worked hard in preparation for the NGSA. Stepping a bit outside of the norm and into a field that is becoming increasingly relevant in the 21st century, Griffith highlighted that she would like to pursue a profession in robotics.

Marlene Crandon, the lone student from the Josel Educational Institute that made the top 10 highlighted: “I prepared by studying. I had to put aside a lot of time for studying and I didn’t play too much.” She credited her success to her siblings, teachers and mother- who were all very supportive as she prepared for the NGSA.

Simran Arya Edmond 522 of Mae’s Under 12 Primary said she invested her time and energies in studying during her exams period and was very optimistic about gaining Queen’s College.

Quoting American poet and educator, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow the young Edmond said “The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.”
She said during her tireless night studying, her parents ensured that the television and electronic gadgets were out of the picture and the focus was on her studies. The young lady said her favorite subjects are Science and Mathematics. Focusing on her future and field in education, the young Edmond said that she is aspiring to be either a medical doctor or a lawyer, following the footsteps of her father, attorney-at-Law, Joel Persid-Edmond and mother, former Magistrate Geeta Chandan-Edmond.

She advised other students studying for NGSA next year that it is not about the score in the tests but doing things to the best of their abilities, “winners never quit and quitters never win.”
“Achieving your goals is something that you must dedicate all your energies into before it becomes a reality. All your goals may or may not add up to your dream, but it is all about input,” she said. The young Edmond thanked God and her parents for giving her the opportunity to ensure her success.

And Tomon Wilson, from the New Guyana Primary school, gained 521 and also earned himself a spot at Queen’s College.

The young man shared that he was “very excited” about his results, and just as excited to be attending that school. He said that the higher level of education and the exposure to different subjects is something that he is very enthusiastic about. “I had to work long and hard but even though I was working hard at some point I stopped to take a short break so I did not stress,” Wilson related. And with Math as his favourite subject, it made studying all the more enjoyable for him. Wilson also aims to one day become a neurologist, because he believes this is a field of science and medicine that he loves and would be able to help lots of people in.