SLEEPLESS nights and early morning studying were major contributing factors in the success of some of the country’s outstanding performers at the 2023 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.

 Following the announcement of the preliminary results at the Anna Regina Secondary School in Region Two, those who were present at the ceremony related that they had made many sacrifices and were happy that they excelled at the examinations.

This year, Anna Regina Secondary School student, Alex Muntaz secured the most Grade Ones for Guyana.

This is the second consecutive year that his school produced such an outstanding performance.

According to the preliminary results, Muntaz, 17, secured 23 Grade Ones and four Grade Twos. He told this publication that he was happy that he has made his region and the country proud. For him, writing 27 subjects was a “wild ride” but nevertheless he pushed on and wrote them.

The teen recalled that he had sleepless nights in the lead up to the examinations and said that his quest for success called for balance in his life.

He thanked his school and lessons teachers for the role they played in his success and his supportive friends and family who gave him the kind of encouragement he needed.

He plans to pursue a career in medicine or engineering. His parents, who own the “Baby Doll” store said they were very proud of their son.

They told this publication that he was a child that has always excelled. He was also a top performer for the region when he wrote the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA).

Meanwhile, Virendra Dookie of Swarswatti Vidhya Niketan secured 19 Grade Ones and one Grade Two.  Dookie was the country’s top NGSA performer in 2018 and the best letter writer for the national examination.

During an interview with this publication, Dookie said he was very happy with his success and he used the opportunity to thank all the teachers and his parents for their support.

Suriya Walcott, of Queenstown Village and a student of the Anna Regina Secondary school has also made her parents very proud.

Walcott secured 18 Grade Ones and five Grade Twos. She is an aspiring lawyer and her parents John and Oneka Walcott said they were elated that she has done so well. Walcott said it was not an easy task but she was determined to succeed given the support she was getting.

Making Abram Zuil Secondary School proud was Kuntie Singh. She secured 18 Grade Ones and five Grade Twos.

Although she was in the business stream, she said she is unsure about her career path but is hoping to get a scholarship to further her studies. Singh said that she devoted her time to doing well and making her school proud.

Murizio Mangra of the Anna Regina Secondary secured 17 Grade Ones and 10 Grade Twos.

He told the Guyana Chronicle that he was very happy with his performance, adding that CSEC was just a stepping stone for him.

Mangra encouraged other CSEC students to stay focused and to try their best to excel.

Among the other students who performed well are Queen’s College students Arthur Roberts who secured 17 Grade Ones and five Grade Twos; Naila Rahaman who has 17 Grade Ones and two Grade Twos; Tahsme Ganesh who has 17 Grade Ones and three Grade Twos; Noah Aryan Persaud who secured 17 Grade Ones and three Grade Twos and Susanna Khemraj who secured 16 Grade Ones and two Grade Twos.

CONTINUOUS INVESTMENTS

 Regional Education Officer, Shondelle Hercules said the children’s achievements are a testimony of the investments that the government is making in the education sector.

She said that the day was one set aside to celebrate the students’ academic milestone.

While pointing out that last year the preliminary results were announced at the same venue, she used the opportunity to thank the teachers and students for their dedication and commitment which ensured that excellent results were achieved.

Education Minister Priya Manickhand in her remarks pointed out that a third of teachers are untrained.

“So it’s not as though you have 100 per cent trained teachers but I also want you to know that all of those are currently in training because we made the facilities so that people across the country, wherever they live, could train and so our aim is that by 2025 we will have 100 per cent of our teachers trained or in training, something that we have never been able to do yet in the country,” she said.

The minister added that other schools across the country have also performed well, before explaining that the results were not final.

“I want to reiterate what the CEO said… CXC dubs these preliminary result; they are not final results for a reason. Every student is afforded the opportunity for a fee of course, to review their grade. If they are unhappy with it, a process happens that has that grade reviewed and it can change and that’s why these are preliminary results,” she explained.

The minister went on to explain that CXC uses a criteria which will determine who are top students.

“For example, they require the top student to have at least a foreign language and so you can have someone with 20 Grade Ones and a Grade Two in the foreign language and you can have someone with 19 Ones but with a higher score in their foreign language…So they have different eligibility criteria and I don’t have the jurisdiction to announce here top students for the country or for the region,” she said.

The minister encouraged the students to continue to make their communities, teachers and relatives proud.