Guyana has recorded improved overall results in all subject areas at this year’s National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) Examination.
There was notable improvement in Mathematics, with 55.51 per cent – the highest in the country’s history – compared to 40.6 per cent last year. English Language recorded 69.25 per cent passes when compared to 66.79 per cent last year; Social Studies recorded 64.77 per cent, compared to 62.88 per cent last year; and Science 63.7 per cent, compared to 54 per cent last year.
Tanasha Mayers of the Academy of Excellence in Region Three was declared this year’s top performer, following the official release of the examination results by the Education Ministry at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre earlier today.
Mayers is also the only candidate to achieve a perfect score of 100 per cent this year, leading the top 10 list with 487.88 marks and securing a place at Queen’s College.
This marks the second time in the country’s history that a student has attained full marks at the examination.
A total of 17 students placed among the top 10 this year and are all awarded spots at Queen’s College.
Other students in the top 10 include Kalissa Haimpersaud of Huist Dieren Primary, who secured the number 2 spot with 487 marks; Christian Ramsay of Mae’s Under 12 Primary with 486.96 marks; Michaela Sammy of Stella Maris Primary and Sandhyaa Swammy of Peter’s Hall Primary, who also secured 486.96 and tied in the number 3 spot; Leah Gill of New Guyana School, who secured the number 6 spot with 486.91 marks; Asiyah Hadiyah of Isa Islamic Academy and Emma Khelawan of Academy of Excellence, who tied in the number 7 spot with 486.13 marks.
Meanwhile, nine students tied for the final spot in the top 10, including Kayliah Grace Rampersaud, Roshini Seecharan, Ziyad Mohamed, Sarah Defreitas, Knial Jonathan Williams, Chloe Faith Daniel, Katy Serena Budhan, Safeerah Sheriff of New Sapodilla School of Excellence with 486.09 marks, and Axela Vieira of Covent Garden Primary, who also secured 486.09 marks.
Additionally, 177 students across the country placed in the top one per cent and received placements at Queen’s College.
Speaking at the event, Education Minister Priya Manickchand said this year’s exemplary results are reflective of conscious investments as well as hard, consistent work.
“Today is the day we see how investment and hard work delivers the nation’s best results. And that’s what we got… Investment — conscious investment, groundbreaking and consistent work where we were forced to put on blinkers and block out the noise. And daily strides that we didn’t get celebrated for on the front pages or any page of any newspaper, has shown us today that once we invest in our children in this country, they will do well. Today we celebrate Guyana’s best results across every single subject ever in the history of this country. And it didn’t happen by magic,” she said.
The Minister noted that the students succeeded despite challenges such as COVID, as she pointed to strategies such as improved school monitoring, investments in trained teachers, partnership of teachers as well as parents, improved access to textbooks, and students being receptive.
“So, when we came into office in 2020, schools were closed for five months, and they remained closed for two years in the primary level. We’re still burning from those years that we lost. These results are extra special when you consider that. The UN, UNICEF, the World Bank had all predicted that we would see tremendous learning loss reflected in results, and early school-leaving — Guyana has defied both of those predictions,” the Minister noted.
Manickchand added that troubleshooting and strategies implemented also led to better turnouts at school and improved results by trained teachers.
