** Salma Majeed, ISA Islamic Academy
Gaining the top Position at this year’s NGSA is Salma Majeed, 11, of the ISA Islamic Academy, who gained a spot at Queen’s College, with 548 marks out of a maximum 560.
An overwhelmed Salma was not aware of her excellent performance at the examination until Education Minister Priya Manickchand visited the school

yesterday to congratulate her and the teachers on their hard work which all paid off in the end.
Speaking to the media, despite being at ‘a loss for words’, Salma said she was very happy about her performance and proud of herself for gaining the top position in the country.
She credited her excellent performance to a study routine comprising many late nights of studying.
Salma said her favourite subjects are Science and Social Studies.
While she has not fully made up her mind about her career choice, for now she is setting her eyes on becoming a medical doctor.
She thanked all of her teachers, especially Ms Erika Razack, her parents, siblings and other family members for the support they gave her which led to her success, as well as Allah.
When asked what advice she would give to students who will sit the examination in the future, Salma said, “I would tell them to try their best and don’t back off, just keep studying.”
Also quite surprised was Salma’s mother, Sandra Majeed, who said her daughter put in a lot of hard work, and while she was always an excellent performer and tried her best, she did not expect her to do so well at the NGSA.
She expressed how happy and proud she was of Salma and also thanked Allah, without whom she believed her daughter’s success would not have been possible.

** Christian Pile, Mae’s Under 12
The second position in the country went to Christian Pile of Mae’s Under 12, who secured himself a place at Queen’s College with 547 marks.
His face, glowing with excitement, this aspiring astronomer told the media that he’s very happy about his performance, which he credited to all the studying he did.
According to him, his parents and teachers helped him to study for the exam, and he thanked his teachers at the Mae’s Under 12, such as his Grade Six teacher, Sir Sean, and teachers Anita, Cindy and Veronica.
Christian also thanked God, with whom he believes all things are possible, and noted that his favourite subject is Science.

** Navindra Persaud, Mae’s Under 12
Navindra Persaud of Mae’s Under 12 secured for himself a place at Queen’s college, after he gained third position in the country at this year’s NGSA examination, with 545 marks.
Speaking to the media, while surrounded by his colleagues at school, Navindra said he is very happy about this, and noted that he has reaped the rewards which came after studying very hard.
This aspiring doctor noted that his favourite subject is Mathematics.
He thanked all of his teachers, parents and God for  helping him to be successful at this examination.

** Ashtmi Natasha Deo, Mae’s Under 12
Fourth position in the country at this year’s NGSA went to Ashtmi Natasha Deo, of Mae’s Under 12, who gained 543 marks, and whose eyes were filled with tears of joy when Education Minister Priya Manickchand visited her school to congratulate her and her colleagues.
Ashtmi said she was very excited when she heard the news about her performance and explained that she studied very hard, and did both her school work as well as past examination papers and mock exam papers.
She said her favourite subject is Science.
At first she wanted to be a doctor but Ashtmi said she has developed a love for music so she probably wants to become a musician.
Ashtmi thanked her parents, friends and teachers for their support which helped her to do so well at the exams.

** Brandon Chanderban, Mae’s Under 12
Joy and excitement does not begin to describe the expressions seen on the face of Brandon Chanderban of Mae’s Under 12, who gained a place at Queen’s College after attaining 542 marks at this year’s NGSA examination.
Speaking to the media yesterday, an excited Brandon said he was happy to gain the fifth place in the country, and added that he studied very hard and also worked papers given to him by his parents.
This aspiring lawyer told reporters that while he likes all of his subjects, his favourite one is Mathematics.
He thanked his parents and teachers for the support they gave to him, as well as God.

** Zane Ramotar, Mae’s Under 12
One of the students gaining the sixth position in the country at this year’s NGSA was Zane Ramotar of the Mae’s Under 12 Primary School, who gained 541 marks.
Speaking to the media, Zane said he was very happy and excited to have gained one of the top 10 positions in the country, and explained that he studied most nights, but not very late, because he wanted to retain what he studied the next day.
This aspiring pilot noted that his favourite subject is Mathematics.
Zane thanked all of his teachers at Mae’s Under 12, as well as his dad for the help and the support.

*** Leshanna Bindah, Stella Maris Primary
Excited and emotional, Leshanna Bindah also gained the sixth position (tied with Zane Ramotar and Abdur-Ramhman Sattaur) at this year’s NGSA examination, with a total of 541 marks, securing a place at Queen’s College.
Speaking to the media, Leshanna credited her excellent performance to her rigorous study routine, which she said was sometimes very tiring.
This aspiring doctor also noted that she received a lot of help from her teacher, Ms. Cherrie Williams, and the subject which she is strongest in is Mathematics.
When asked what advice she would give to students sitting the examination next year, Leshanna said that while the exam for her was easy, she doesn’t know what the exams will be like next year.
“All I advise is that you have to study a lot, put dedication into it, and in the end it will pay off,” she stated.

** Abdur-Rahman Sattaur, Al Ghazali Islamic Academy
Also sharing the sixth position is Abdur-Rahman Sattaur of the Al Ghazali Islamic Academy, who was very happy and excited about his performance when the Guyana Chronicle visited him at his school.
Abdhur said he studied very hard with his mother, and most days he would study from 17:00 hrs to 20:00 hrs, and then from 7:00 hrs to 8:00 hrs.
He also stated that he made a lot of sacrifices in order to prepare for the examination, and one of those sacrifices was less time watching television. Abdhur’s favourite subject is Science.
Speaking to the Guyana Chronicle, Abdhur’s mother, Narissa Sattaur, said she is very happy with her son’s performance, which she feels is well deserved, since he had put a lot of hard work into it.
Abdhur’s teacher, Jhonny Mongal, told this publication that his excellent performance does not come as a surprise to him, since he was always a disciplined student who did extremely well in all of the mock exams.

** Divya Jagroo, Graham’s Hall Primary
One of the three students who copped the ninth position at this year’s NGSA examination was Divya Jagroo of Graham’s Hall Primary, who gained a place at Queen’s College with a score of 540 marks.
Divya told reporters yesterday that she feels very happy and excited to have gained one of the top 10 positions in the country.
Divya said she prepared for the exams by studying late at nights, giving up play time to focus on her studies, and also avoided being absent from school.
This aspiring doctor said that her favourite subject is Science.
She thanked her teacher, Miss Etwaru, her parents and her friends who supported her and contributed to her success.