Kelly Ann Persaud has been declared the country’s top performer at this year’s CSEC examinations a year after her sister, Kia Persaud, received the very award.
At the National Cultural Centre yesterday Kelly Ann and her sister were among other students who were honoured by the Ministry of Education for their performance at the National Grade Six, Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE).
Kelly Ann gained 15 Grade Ones at the CSEC examination. Her trophies were presented to her by Education Minster Shaik Baksh, one for being among the best senior secondary school performers and another as the CSEC best performer.
Kelly Ann was all smiles as she collected her trophies. During a photo op after the ceremony with her parents and sister Kia who was among the best performers at this year’s CAPE, Kelly Ann said her success came from seeing the hard work her sister had put in last year.
“She’s pretty focused most of the time. It encourages me to study,” Kelly Ann said of her sister. Kia meanwhile said of Kelly Ann, “I’m very proud of her.”
Kelly Ann said she hopes to follow a similar pattern of academic success like her sister. If she gets that wish, then like her sister she will be named the best performer in the Caribbean.
Currently, she is pursing CAPE studies at Queen’s College before going to the University of Guyana to study medicine. Kia on the other hand is completing her second unit of CAPE at Queen’s College.
Mr and Mrs Persaud meanwhile said that they were “super elated” over the success of their daughters. Mr Persaud added that they “like to encourage them in whatever they do.”
Meanwhile enjoying three years of academic success was CAPE top performer Yana Marisa Edwards. Edwards was also last year’s top CAPE performer according to her mother. Edwards was also the top CSEC student in 2008. Currently at the University of the West Indies pursuing medicine, Edwards was honoured for her academic achievements by the university during a matriculation ceremony, Edwards’ mother, Justice Yonette Cummings said.
“As a mom I’m elated about her performance. We, my husband and I, have been supporting her through the years…and we’ll continue to give her support,” Justice Cummings said.
Other awardees at the ceremony included Sonia Ghir who topped at the National Grade Six Assessment, students of the Carnegie School of Home Economics, Guyana Techni-cal Education Examination and the Best Gradua-ting Student of Cyril Potter College of Education.
Most Improved Primary School award went to West Ruimveldt Primary while Tucville and Presi-dent’s College received the Most Improved Junior and Secondary School award respectively.
In the meantime, the Teacher-of-the-Year award which was supposed to have been handed out yesterday has been pushed back to next month. This newspaper was told that the selection criteria had to be worked out. The award was re-launched in September after Laparkan Holdings donated a million dollars to the Ministry of Education.
Improved education
In his feature address, Education Minister Shaik Baksh said that the greatest challenge for his ministry is improving the quality of education, especially at the secondary level in the subject area of mathematics.
He also stated that the standard at the University of Guyana needed to be improved.
Baksh said he was concerned about the education process, which he noted was long winded, and the absence of lecturers from classes and delays in marking papers among other things reflected badly on the institution. But Baksh said that “we will take up these matters” to improve the education level in the country.
Meanwhile, Baksh announced that “very, very early in the new year” a television station dedicated to educational activities will be established “so that students can benefit.”
Currently, the minister said that there is a multimedia centre established at the National Centre for Educational Development (NCERD) which promotes distance education. These initiatives are part of the programme to have information technology integrated into education.