Students who attained high levels of academic achievement, earning good grades at various examinations were this morning honoured by the Ministry of Education. They were presented with awards and trophies at the Ministry of Education’s 20th Annual National Award Ceremony held at the National Cultural Centre (NCC.)
In attendance were Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Minister of Education Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine and other officials.
Prime Minister Nagamootoo, who presented awards to the Most Outstanding Performers in the different categories, delivered the featured address. He said that the day was one of celebration, of achievement, of accomplishment and of example.
He told the 2016 national best academic performers that they were the “new exemplars of the nation…”
Congratulating all of the awardees, the Prime Minister also urged them strive for greater successes. “Guyana can be a shining light in the world and you are the lights,” he said.
“Keep making waves…keep the flag of Guyana flying in whatever you do in, wherever you go and we will be proud of you once you embrace your country with love and commitment,” the Prime Minister added.
Urging the top performers to uphold high standards in their future endeavors, the Prime Minister said that there is nothing more worthy of recognition than honesty and integrity.
A bittersweet day
Also addressing the event was Minister of Education, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine. This is the second year of the national award ceremony under Minister Roopnaraine’s stewardship. He said that it was a bittersweet one for him.
The minister explained that while he recognises the merit of the awards for recognizing the hard work and success of the top performers and for being a motivation for those to come, he also bemoan its limitation of continuing to be all about awarding academia.
He pointed out that there were no awards for the outstanding nonacademic or hybrid aspects of students’ performances and said that this is an indictment of the nation’s education system.
The minister noted the strain that the system is subjected to when it seeks to provide for tuition for as many as 20 subjects.
“The result is less time for extra curriculum activities, less time for core subjects and create a need for extra lessons to supplement the work done in schools, lessons which some cannot afford, and hours of tuition sometimes commencing as early as 5:00 am and ending as late as 10:00pm,” the minister said.
In addition to the distribution of the trophies, laptops were handed to the top Presidential Scholarship Awardees, CAPE and CXC performers.
The national outstanding academic performers are chosen by the Examination Division Unit of the Ministry of Education. The Unit chooses the top performers for each of the local examinations. The Caribbean Examination Council would guide the identification of top performers at the regional exams.
The 2016 Outstanding Education Performers are as follow:
National Grade Six Assessment Best Performers
Anthony Ferreira- Mae’s Under 12
Aryan Singh- Dharmic Rama Krishna
Serena Razak- Graham’s Hall Primary
Chelsea Barnes- Success Elementary
Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate- Best Junior Secondary Performers
Ramkumarie Ramdass- Saraswati Vidya Niketan
Joshua Indrajit- Skeldon Line Path Secondary
Kimberly Najab- Saraswati Vidya Niketan
Kevall Lall- Anna Regina Secondary
Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate- Best Senior Secondary Performers
Kayshav Tewari- Queen’s College
Fatima Karim- St. Roses High
Aadilah Ali- Queen’s College
Sariah Singh-Queen’s College
Carnegie School of Home Economic
Ayodele Bovel-Grament Construction
Moneyep Thornhill-Commercial Food Preparation
Gizelle Lopes-Catering and Hospitality
Suzanna Saunder-General Cosmetology
Abigail Henry-Interior Decoration
Craft Productions and Design
Nikeita Allicock-Visual Arts
Shaunell Wilson-Garment Construction
Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate Examination- Best Science Performer
Kayshav Tewari-Queen’s College
Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate Examination- Best Creative and Expressive Arts Performer
Esther Hurcules-Bishops’ High
Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate Examination- Best Creative and Expressive Arts Performer
Kayshav Tewari-Queen’s College
Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations- Best Performers 2016
Deenauth Mohabeer- Queen’s College
Carissa Kissoon-Bishops’ High
Ashley Anthony- Queen’s College
Joash Gobin- Queen’s College
Larissa Wiltshire- Queen’s College
Shannon Woodroffe- Queen’s College
Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations- Best Performers 2015-2016
Larissa Wiltshire- Queen’s College
Most Improved Primary School
Providence Primary
Most Improved Junior Secondary School
Bush Lot Secondary School
Most Improved Senior Secondary School
Mackenzie High School
Best Graduating Student-CPCE (2014-2016)
Hirannie Persaud- Anna Regina Centre, ADE Primary Programme
Desrey Fox Scholarship Award
Lennox Hernandez
Presidential Scholarship Awardees
Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations
Larissa Wiltshire-Queen’s College
Sarah Hack-Queen’s College
Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate Examination
Kayshav Tewari-Queen’s College
Fatima Karim-St Rose’s High
Most Outstanding Performer-Overall
Kayshav Tewari-Queen’s College
Source:http://gina.gov.gy/
