With the highest attainable score for the 2019 National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) being 536 marks, this year’s two top students hail from public schools and both grabbed 532 marks, earning themselves a place at Queen’s College.
Dave Chowtie of Graham’s Hall Primary and Venisha Lall of CV Nunes Primary, tied for the top position at this year’s NGSA.
The young man, who expressed excitement over his achievement, stated that he was inspired by past top performers, including 2018 top performer Naila Rahaman. According to Dave’s father, Kumar Chowtie, his son’s performance was beyond expectations and he was excited to know that all the hard work that his wife and the class teacher put in paid off.
Dave’s mother told Stabroek News that she made countless sacrifices so that her son could have done well in the examination. Neela Chowtie stated that it was “God’s will”, as she had prayed a lot for her son to achieve such a feat and even added that while the teachers do their best, the parents of the children also have to put in the work. The woman said that during the exam period, she had taken time off from work to visit her son at school.
Eleven-year-old Venisha Lall, who hails from the Essequibo Coast, and who tied with Chowtie for the top spot, told members of the media that she aspires to be an economist and future president of Guyana. “I want to become an economist and I want to be the future president of Guyana to help the poor,” the 11-year-old said. Lall stated that her preparation for the NGSA started when she was just in Grade Four and that she had a lot of help and support from her teachers, parents and grandparents and other family members. “I wanted to prove that no matter if you come from a public school or a private school you could still do it,” Lall added. Her encouragement to future students is that they should work hard while also having fun and most importantly, believe in themselves.
Tying for the second spot were Shrirish Persaud and Ruth Larson from the Academy of Excellence, Ethan Bianchini of Marian Academy and Shivali Challu of Mae’s Under 12, who all scored 530 marks. Persaud stated that the exams overall were a bit easy but he experienced some “tricky” questions in the Social Studies exam. “I didn’t really expect to do that good,” Persaud said. He added that his parents were always there for him and assisted him with his work, while teachers would have assisted him and other classmates on how to answer questions.
Bianchini, when speaking with Stabroek News after the Ministry of Education’s press conference, thanked God and his parents for his achievement. He added that the balance of work and play made him relax as he was preparing for the examinations. Bianchini also expressed gratitude to his Grade Six teacher for the amazing help throughout the entire exam process.
Shivali Challu, who was extremely excited when speaking to Stabroek News, stated that she was shocked when she heard the news that she was among the top ten students in the country. “I was shocked but I worked really hard so it was possible,” Challu told Stabroek News. She added that preparation for the exams were not easy, as she and her parents made lots of sacrifices. “Lots of late nights and early mornings. I made lots of sacrifices; I couldn’t watch television nor play with my gadgets,” Challu said. The new Queen’s College student expressed special thanks to teachers at her school, including Sir Kelvin Lewis and teachers Cindy, Sonia and Bridgette.
Sarita Somai, of Success Elementary and Ajala Maharaj, of Marian Academy, came in third, both having scored 529 marks. Somai added that she was extremely excited to be attending Queen’s College come September. “Words can’t express my happiness, I’m really happy,” she said. She later added that she was grateful for the motivation she gained from her parents, teachers and friends. Maharaj also expressed her excitement and stated that she expected to do well at the NGSA. The child, who attended lessons aside from school, said that the exams were stressful but she also received help from her parents and teachers in preparation for them. “It was okay, it was a bit stressful,” Maharaj said. She added that it was a bit tough balancing extra lessons along with school.
Nine students tied at the fourth spot, with 528 marks. Those students were: Sarah Johnson, Jaaya Shiwraj, Adyita Sharma of Academy of Excellence, Maaseiah Salikram and Akaia Griffith of Success Elementary, Umshankar Singh of Novar Primary School, Devine Amsterdam of New Guyana School, Malene Crandon of Josel Educational Institute and Narindra Singh of Marian Academy.
Sarah, Jaaya and Adiyta all expressed their excitement to be attending Queen’s College together and about their achievement. Sarah stated that the exams were easy overall but she faced a few challenging questions. Jaaya, though excited, stated that she was not expecting to attend Queen’s College. “I was expecting to go to Bishops’,” she said, while stating the she wanted Queen’s College but was not sure if she would have attained a spot at the school. Shiwraj also stated that preparations for the exams were challenging, as a lot of late nights and early mornings of studying played a role. Sharma also told members of the media that he was not expecting Queen’s College. “I feel great about my results… I was expecting Bishops’ or Saint Stanislaus,” Sharma said.
“I feel very, very elated. It was lots and lots of studying,” Maaseiah Salikram said. She stated that there were not any exams that she was nervous about getting done and was confident that her work would have gotten her a position at one of the top schools in the country. She also stated that she was glad to have some of her friends from primary school attend Queen’s College with her, as a new environment may take her a while to get used to.
Umshankar Singh, who is the top student for his school and Region 5, stated that he is very excited about the achievement, especially being the top student of his entire region. He said that the exams for him were quite simple but he was still challenged by some of the questions. Singh, who said that his parents and teachers were very helpful along the process, added that he also attended extra lessons.
The only student in the top ten spot and hailing from the New Guyana School, was Devine Amsterdam, who also expressed her excitement, stating that the exams were not as strenuous on her, as her parents created a balance between fun and work. “It was not that strenuous but it was good, I did get to relax and at the same time I had to study and I revised my notes, but I did get to relax a lot,” Devine told Stabroek News.
She added that the subjects that she initially felt a bit nervous about were Science and English. “The questions seemed to be easy but at the same time I know I do bad in Science but the questions were easy because I revised and English cause, my stories, they don’t really have as much description,” Amsterdam said. Her mother, Tracy Amsterdam, said, “I felt like I was the one writing the exams because we were always at it. Many nights we were up very late in the night… but she is a hard worker”.
Amsterdam continued saying that her husband was the one who encouraged them to take breaks, and who created a balance when he noticed that they were studying for a while. “I was happy about the news; this is something that she always wanted. She did indicate to me that she wanted to go to Queen’s College and I told her once you work towards it you can achieve it and that is exactly what she did,” Amsterdam told Stabroek News.
The top performer for Josel Educational Institute, Malene Crandon, told Stabroek News that she was surprised by the news and stated that the experience was great. “I was very anxious going into the exams but I tried my best so I did my best,” Crandon said. She added that she was only nervous going into the Social Studies exams. “I feel very excited, I can’t really express how I feel right now,” Crandon said as she smiled brightly. She stated that she was extremely grateful for the push she received from her mom and siblings, who constantly reminded her to study.
