Chase’s Academic Foundation student Oronde Chase, at 14 years old, has achieved what many Guyanese students are not afforded the opportunity to do until they have reached the ages of 16 and 17.
He was just 13 when he sat the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) English A examination earlier this year, but managed to earn a Grade One, an accomplishment that he said came as a surprise to him. Asked what the exam was like for him, he said it was very easy, but he had anticipated getting a Grade Two or Three.
“When I got my results, I was quite shocked due to the fact that I was the youngest in the exam room and that some of the stuff on the paper I did not quite understand. But I tried my best and I came out with one of the best results,” he said.
Oronde does not accept the credit for taking this commendable step, however, having stated that it was his father’s idea to have him write the exam early. The teenager revealed that while his father had mentioned it to him before, he had always taken it in jest. That is, until February of this year.