Three children who attained identical marks at this year’s National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) were yesterday announced as the country’s top performers.
Neuel Bancroft of Annandale Primary in Region Four, Angelica Subryan of Cumberland Primary in Region Six, and Jonathan Gomes of Josel Education of Institute in Central Georgetown all gained 518 marks and were awarded places at Queen’s College.
The announcement was made at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre by Minister of Education Priya Manickchand.
Neuel Bancroft, who was still sweating from the nervousness associated with hearing his results, said that although he knew he studied and was expecting to do well, he did not expect to be one of the top students for the exam. “I’m quite excited and astonished. I never thought that I would’ve been placed so high in the NGSA exams.”
The aspiring pilot stated that in order to keep ahead of others in his class, his main study tool was the Consolidated Curriculum for Grade Six students which he read every night. “I had a strict study schedule I had to stay up very late at night studying for the exams, I used to read the consolidated curriculum every night so I could have an advantage over the rest of students.”
Bancroft said that his encouragement to other students would be centred on being disciplined, while also encouraging them to take breaks when they feel overwhelmed. “My advice would be that you should be disciplined and you should focus on the books… but you shouldn’t focus all the time because all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, you should have some break time but not too much that it distracts from the purpose of studying.”
Angelica Subryan, who was still grasping for words, said that she was happy about her performance because it came with a lot of studying, hard work and sacrifice. Subryan, who aspires to become a doctor, said that she was not that surprised at her results since she knew and expected that she would have done well.
The girl’s father, Jermaine Subryan, said that although his daughter has always been making him proud, her 2022 NGSA performance was one for the books. “My daughter has worked very hard and she was a very dedicated student… we would’ve expected her to have a good performance but not as well as this and we’re very excited… it was well done and we’re very happy,” expressed the joyful man.
Meanwhile, an excited Jonathan Gomes, another top performer, told the media that his results were not shocking to him, since he knew he would have come out on top. Gomes described his preparation period as smooth and easy due to the fact that he has always been a prepared child and that he would usually limit his play and study time.
When asked what his encouragement would be to other students, Gomes said, “To set goals for yourself, test yourself, change yourself, and you can do anything if you set your priorities.”
The young man’s mother, Stacy Monah-Gomes, stated that although she knew her son would have clinched a seat at Queen’s College, she did not expect him to be one of the top performers in the country. “No I did not. From the mock exams and what the teacher would have related to me, and from his last term before that was ninety five per cent, so I was confident enough that he would have gotten Queen’s, but not a top position.”
She added that her son’s study schedule was one of complete balance, “during the exam time he would play, he had his time, video games, then he knows ‘okay at 6 o’clock I have work to do so’ so it wasn’t just about the books, books, books… preparation for him was easy.”
Similarly, Elijah Ram, a top performer amongst the top ten, and for his school, Graham’s Primary in Georgetown, also confessed that he never expected to fall within the said category. “I never expected that I would have actually be in the top ten… me, my mom and my dad used to stay up late in the evenings to study and try to wake up early in the morning to catch a little more study as well, and my teacher and I, and other students used to do extra classes in the afternoon.” Ram was also awarded a place at Queen’s College and had attained 517 marks.
Meanwhile, a delighted Parnita Kishun, the top student of the Dharmic Rama Krishna Primary, told the media that she was extremely excited about her results and thanked everyone who helped her through her journey.
Kishun, who also falls amongst the top ten with her 515 marks noted that she had put in a lot of studying, especially during the peak time of the examination. “Leading up to the exams I had to stay up very late and sacrifice a lot of my free time and I also had to wake up very early to push in a lot of studies.”
The aspiring doctor and entrepreneur looks forward to becoming versatile in the two fields that she plans to pursue. “I’m looking to become a doctor but I always have several business ideas in mind… to become a doctor I would like to put a smile on the faces of others to make sure that their loved ones are happy and generally it is very interesting to me and it’s something I know I will enjoy doing.”
Kishun, who now gets ready to attend Queen’s College, said that she would encourage other students to relieve themselves of the electronic devices during exam time and to prioritise their books instead. “The advice I would give them, for now [is] put down the phones, pick up the books, prioritise your studies, and don’t give up at times. There will be challenges but once you try your best and you stay focussed, anything is possible.”
Amongst the top ten students were Elliana Ganpat, of Mae’s Under-12; Sierra Prescod, of Westfield Prep; and Jaysean Manram, of Graham’s Hall Primary, all of whom scored 517 marks. Adalyn Bernard, of New Guyana School; Tanika Sukhdeo, of Academy of Excellence; Arya Mohammed, of Success Elementary; and Ziyaad Ally, of Aurora Primary on the Essequibo Coast were also in the top tier. These students attained 516 marks. Meanwhile, Kaiyah Ramkisson of New Guyana School, Jaren Boucher of Genesis Early Childhood, Sarah Baharally, of Suddie Primary on the Essequibo Coast; and Jaliyah Holder of the New Guyana School; all scored 515 marks and were all awarded places at Queen’s College.
