-top performers to get automatic scholarships
Celebrating the performance of this year’s top Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) students, Education Minister Priya Manickchand called it a reflection of investments government has made in the sector, such as trained teachers, new schools and free books and other services.
“You give us a reason to continue… because you have brought to us immense pride and joy and you really epitomised our success as a people and as a ministry,” Manickchand told the students at the Education Awards ceremony held at the National Cultural Centre on Wednesday last.
She noted that the ministry does not only serve Georgetown as is evident from where the students hail. Singling out this year’s CSEC top performer Sarah Hack of the Abram’s Zuil Secondary School, Manickchand noted that because trained teachers have been installed in schools across the country, a student from Essequibo has now topped the nation. “We can only do better and we must do better,” she added, according to a Government Information Agency (GINA) press release.
The four CSEC awardees who topped the region gave Guyana four of the eight CSEC awards. They are the awards for Top Performer Overall, in Business Education, in the Sciences and in Technical Vocational Education. GINA noted that the CSEC regional awards started in 1988, but it was not until 1997 when Guyanese students began to bring them home. More followed in 1999, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012.
“Where there was investment we starting seeing the results. We want to promise you as the government we will continue to put in the effort, we will continue to make the investments, we will continue to make demands at the excellence of our teachers and the ministry staff and we will continue to do what we need to do to ensure that our children can get the best education we can offer,” Manickchand said.
She noted however, that partners are needed since government cannot do it alone. While teachers can be trained, and uniforms and uniforms, textbooks and exercise books offered free of cost, parents also have a huge role to play in the education of their children.
“The children too will have a huge role to play and we ask that all partners join us and hold our hands to make sure we can give our children the best we can give them because it is only with a sound education that Guyana can develop at the pace they need [it] to develop at.”
Meanwhile, in his feature address President Donald Ramotar said he plans to make scholarship awards automatic for top performers at the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency (CAPE) levels as an incentive to boost the education sector and keep Guyana at the regional top spot in performance. He said this was a decision made at the level of Cabinet as “We have seen the important role that education will play in our national development.”
Top CSEC performers
Sarah Hack of Abram’s Zuil Secondary School won the Most Outstanding Candidate Overall award in the Region. She wrote 16 subjects and achieved Grade I in all 16 subjects with all As on the profile grades. Hack’s exceptional performance has put Abram Zuil Secondary School in the prestigious position of achieving the CSEC School of the Year award for 2012.
Tamasha Maraj from the Bishops’ High School won the award for the Most Outstanding Candidate in Business Education with 13 subjects while Deowattie Narine, also from Bishops’, won the award for the Most Outstanding Candidate in the Sciences. She earned Grade I in 13 subjects. Karran Singh of St Rose’s High School is the Most Outstanding Candidate in Technical Vocational Education. Singh achieved Grade I in 12 subjects.
In addition, Jonelle James of Queen’s College topped CAPE and Jessica Anthony also of Queen’s College won the Best Senior Secondary School performance.
Awards were also given in category of Regional awards (CXC and CAPE) junior and senior secondary awards, the most improved primary school, the Guyana Technical Education Examination, the best Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) graduating students and special awards. The auditorium erupted into cheers when it was announced that Ganesh Singh, a visually impaired student who sat the exams electronically, copped grade ones in English A and Social Studies.
A stirring rendition of “Power of the Dream,” by a Linden youth choir was also among the highlights of the ceremony.
Investments paying off According to GINA Guyanese students are currently pursuing scholarships in 140 countries worldwide. The scholarship programme which falls under the purview of the Ministry of Public Service has made options available through Cuba, the Commonwealth, the Organisation of American States (OAS), India, Venezuela and a few Arab countries.
The Cuban scholarship programme, a success story on its own will see awardees soon returning as doctors, engineers and veterinarians, to add to the country’s skilled and qualified workforce.
The president equated investments in education to investments in Guyana’s future. “All over the world, including the United Nations, there is a recognition that if we are going to fight poverty, if we are going to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that we have set ourselves… education will have to play a pivotal role.”
Over 30 per cent of the country’s budget has been allotted to the education sector allowing the much needed areas like the hinterland to benefit from secondary schools with dorms, uniforms and hot meals. Guyana has also achieved universal access to primary education and gender parity and is narrowing the gap at the secondary level. Moreover, the first ever educational television channel is up and running.
The investments have been paying off, Ramotar said, adding that “I think over the last seven years Guyana has topped the Caribbean in producing the best student in the region… and we intend to continue with that tradition ahead of us.”
