They are all elated that they have done so well and for many of them the news has still not soaked in fully. They have made their parents, teachers, community and country proud, but one thing that is common amongst all the students topping this year’s National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) is that they made huge sacrifices and gave up many of the things they enjoyed; at least during the period leading up to the exams.
For many of the scholars, this achievement is yet another step to achieving their dreams of becoming successful in their career plans.
Aryan Singh, from the Dharmic Rama Krishna Primary School, is aspiring to be the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the World Bank someday. He shared the top spot in this year’s National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) in Guyana with Anthony Ferreira of the Mae’s Under 12 Primary School.
When the results were made public about the performance of students throughout the country yesterday, Singh, was speechless as he tried to come to terms with the surprising feat of being one of the best performers in Guyana.
“This was shocking at first, I didn’t believe it. I went to my aunty and she told me the internet has it,” he stated.
According to Singh, while many other students attended extra classes (lessons) to prepare for these national examinations this was not the case for him. His mandate was to push in long and hard hours of studying in order to excel.
The boy’s dream was always to attend the prestigious educational institution, Queen’s College, and as such forced himself to sacrifice many recreational activities so as to fulfil this.
He posited that his success is owed to the encouragement and assistance of his family and teachers who all played a significant, integral role in helping him achieve this goal.
Meanwhile, Sarena Razak, of the Graham’s Hall Primary School, was awarded the position of being third in the country, and the highest scoring female for this year’s NGSA.
Confident, outspoken, and smart, she was astonished at the fact that she was placed so high in the scoring sheet, although she did expect to be placed in the top 10 list in Guyana.
When asked about how she prepared to sit these examinations, this is what she had to say: “I didn’t take it too hard. It was just like a normal exam to me, but I had to put aside some cricket, swimming and some karate,” Razak posited.
As for Success Primary School’s Chelsea Barnes, she was elated at having earned the position of number four in Guyana for the NGSA.
The 11-year-old explained that attaining this feat proved to be challenging since it required that she sacrifice many of her hobbies, which included watching television and gaming.
“I’d like to thank God because if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have done what I’ve done now. I’m really, really happy and filled with mixed emotions right now,” she said. Barnes also thanked her parents for their support and encouragement leading up to the examinations.
At the number five place in the top one percent list for the NGSA is Arun Sooknarine of the Dharmic Rama Krishna Primary School. He stated that he was relieved that the examinations had concluded and the results proved to be favourable for him.
“My heart just can’t stop beating all the time. I was just so excited because I saw the smiles on their faces and I knew the good news,” he said.
Indie Rampersaud, Justin Seecharan, Jonathan Ganga, Lemuel Assing and Divya Nandalall were all awarded 7th place.
