preliminary results reveal

WHEN Naresh Jagnanan, of Belle Plaine, Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), was named the top business student at the 2021 sitting of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations with his 11 Grade Ones, he knew he was destined for great things.

He later relocated to Georgetown to attend Queen’s College to pursue an Associate Degree in Accounting at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) level. He knew that this move would make him eligible for a CXC/UWI scholarship.

This year, he has once again placed the island of Wakenaam in the limelight, as, according to the 2023 preliminary results, he attained the most Grade Ones for the country at the regional examinations.

It was announced on Thursday that he had secured nine Grade Ones and one Grade Two.

Jagnanan has a passion for accounting, and had done accounting courses at Cacique Accounting College after completing his CSEC exams.

According to him, he is aspiring to either become an economist or accountant in the corporate world.

“To make this a reality, I’ll be pursuing my Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Accounting at the University of the West Indies. This was, likewise, one of my goals, and I am very grateful to see it materialise. It was the sole reason for me to pursue CAPE, so it’s like destiny was already written,” the visibly excited young man said.

He was among the students who were present at the Anna Regina Secondary School in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) for the announcement of the results.

While speaking with this publication, he used the opportunity to extend gratitude to his parents, siblings, aunt, other family members and his friends for their sacrifices and blessings.

He said it was their actions and their love that propelled him to succeed.

“This achievement is mine as it is theirs. Also, to my mother, who has been my everlasting source of unwavering support in all my endeavours. Her sacrifices, trials and tribulations, both seen and unseen, have made me into the young adult that I am today,” Jagnanan added.

Meanwhile, another Queen’s College student, Joshua Gulab, secured eight Grade Ones, three Grade Twos and two Grade Threes.

Although his academic journey has been both challenging and rewarding, he plans to continue his education, as he wants to make his parents proud.

“It’s a bitter-sweet moment for me. I am happy to hear of my grades, but I think I will be reviewing a few of them,” Gulab said.

St. Stanislaus student Cleon Jardine secured seven Grade Ones, one Grade Two and one Grade Four. He said that after completing CSEC, he was determined to continue his studies, and was glad to do so.

He said it was not an easy task, and he used the opportunity to thank all those who assisted him in his journey to success.

Among the other outstanding performers are Queen’s College students Divya Nandalall, who secured seven Grade Ones and one Grade Two, and Zaydeo Ramotar, who secured six Grade Ones and four Grade Twos.

Ramotar told this publication that he was very happy with his results, and from the inception wanted to do well.

Minister of Education Priya Manikchand and Chief Education Officer Shadam Hussain used the opportunity to congratulate the students.

Hussain, in his remarks, said that the country has recorded a 98.8 per cent pass rate at this year’s sitting.

It was revealed that, overall, the students secured a total of 386 Grade Ones, 736 Grade Twos, 981 Grade Threes,761 Grade Fours and 493 Grade Fives.