Cumberland Primary School pupils took five of the top ten spots for Region Six in this year’s National Grade Six Assessment.
The five: Khadeja Ramsammy with 501.41 marks, Jenna Phillips with 500.45 marks, Moneesha Naresh, Emma Ramcharan, and Shavish Jaikaran secured coveted places at Queen’s College.
Ramsammy, 11, of Canefield, East Canje Berbice in an interview with the Stabroek News yesterday said that she was at home when she got the call which left her with a burst of emotions as it was her goal to top the region. “I was excited, yes it was a goal. I always wanted that to be an achievement of mine and an accomplishment,” she said.
Describing her routine as a “healthy balance”, Ramsammy said that she went to school, had after-school lessons, and revised a bit. However, she also included exercise in her routine, “it wasn’t always about books, I would say it was a healthy routine,” she added.
Her advice to pupils who will be preparing to write the examinations next year was: “Have balance in that routine and if you have questions about anything, ask and ensure it’s answered when teachers are teaching, on any topic, if you have questions, ask.”
Ramsammy, who wants to be a cardiologist one day, said that it was noticeable that Guyanese suffer from a lot of cardiac diseases “and there aren’t many heart doctors so I want to be a cardiologist because of that.”
Turning to her class teacher, Sherilee Samuels Reid, she described her as a “great teacher” who continuously pushed and motivated her to achieve her goal. Both of Ramsammy’s parents are educators at Berbice High School (BHS) and she said that she will be attending the BHS.
She thanked Allah and then her parents and siblings for their support in her journey as well as several other teachers at the Cumberland Primary School.
Her parents, she said were “a big help, they helped me to understand more topics and helped me to study.”
Phillips of Cumberland Village, East Canje Berbice, who secured the second spot in Region Six and at her school, said that she is very proud of herself and extremely satisfied with her results.
“I used to go to school from 7.30 – 2.30, our lunch break was supposed to be an hour and it was reduced to 30 minutes so for the other half hour we would work and then I went to lessons,” she said.
With hopes of joining the science field, Phillips said, “The two careers I have in mind are either an astrophysicist or marine biologist.”
She thanked her family and teachers for their role in supporting her throughout her journey. Phillips was a student in Miss Reid’s class.
She advised pupils who will be writing the next examination to work hard as she said, “the sky is the limit.”
In celebration, she will be having a get-together with her friends to celebrate their results as she looks forward to relaxing a bit and then “preparing for the high school life ahead of me.”
Naresh, of Canefield, East Canje Berbice, who secured the school’s third spot and placed fifth in Region Six overall, said that she was extremely proud of herself. “I was happy, excited. I was at home with my family and it made me feel very overwhelmed,” she said.
In preparing she said that she went to Reid’s lessons and worked past papers. “Every day I went through my work for an hour,” she added
With the dreams of one day becoming a lawyer, Naresh advised other pupils to also revise when they get home from school, “go through the work you did for the day for an hour or so and work some past booklets.”
Describing her class teacher, Miss Reid, Naresh said, “She was an excellent teacher, gave us a lot of work, and always encouraged us.”
She is looking forward to celebrating with her parents as she also thanked her grandparents for their support in her journey. “My grandparents and my parents encouraged me and gave me the courage to do well in my exams,” she noted.
Naresh’s mother, Shivrannie Naresh, a part-time worker, said that she was left in tears when they got the news. “I was overjoyed and emotional at the same time. She made the Naresh family proud, we always encouraged her, always kept telling her to study, it will pay off and it did happen,” she said.
The mother then stressed that the parents’ role in their children’s education is an important one. She said, “You got to start them from Grade One, mould them from Grade One, keep encouraging them, get them to revise it in the afternoon, keep revising… Always keep working with your child, encouraging them despite if they get a low percentage, always keep telling them that they can do it.”
Ramcharan of Canefield, East Canje Berbice, who came in fourth at her school and sixth in the region said that she felt very happy “that I have accomplished my dreams and aspirations.”
She added, “I studied very hard and kept my distance from gadgets. I’ve always set my dreams on becoming a doctor.
“I firstly would like to thank God for giving me health and strength to accomplish my goal. Secondly I would like to thank my parents for their support and guidance. I would also like to thank all of my teachers from nursery school to grade six especially my class teacher Miss Reid and finally I would like to thank my aunt Poowah, and grandmother for their encouragement and always believing in me.”
She advised pupils to study hard, stay focused and attend lessons and school regularly, “if you want to achieve your dreams.”
Eleven-year-old Jaikaran of Cumberland Village, East Canje Berbice, who secured the fifth spot at his school and eighth in the region’s top ten said that he hopes to one day become a mechanic like his father.
The young man said that when he received the news he “was very happy, excited, speechless.”
While Jaikaran was in Sir Miguel’s class at the Cumberland School, who he thanked for his support, he also attended Miss Reid’s lessons, which his parents believed aided in his success. “I went to lessons, studied a lot and my parents helped me a lot to study,” he said.
Jaikaran has made his family extremely proud as his father, Basdeo Jaikaran, a mechanic, was unable to finish primary school.
His mother, Debbie Kumar Sami, said, “I always know he will do good, I really thank Miss Shirilee for her cooperation, he learned a lot. I tell myself if it wasn’t the lesson, we wouldn’t have been in this position. His dad dropped out before Grade Six and went into becoming a mechanic so he is just very excited, we’re very proud.”
Meanwhile, Miss Reid, who has taught for 30 years, and had a direct hand in the children’s achievement said that although there were challenges including the death of one of her students from Canefield, East Canje Berbice, her students excelled.
“I would like to thank the teachers of Cumber-land Primary,” she said. “We are a team, especially Grade Six teachers. We worked as a team. We had very supportive parents and the children were very motivated… They were very eager to excel…”
In 2022, a student from Reid’s class topped the country and her students are always known to secure spots in the region’s top numbers.
