By Malisa Playter Harry
Added to copping the top position at this year’s National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), boys also excelled in Region 6. According to Regional Education Officer of Region 6, Ms. Voloika Jaikissoon, twenty-four boys took the top spots.
She expressed satisfaction with the performance of the entire region where 52 students were placed in the top 124 around the country. Emphasising the performance of the males, she stressed that among the top fifty students being honored twenty-four boys took the top spots, demolishing the myth that “girls are performing better than boys”. She explained that in recent years, the males’ performance were far below that of the female students.
The region also countered claims of ‘private schools always dominating the top places at NGSA’. The Regional Education Officer also she also highlighted that the top 50 students being honored are from the public schools.
She was speaking at a gathering recently where fifty-two students who sat the was placed among the top students in the country received bicycles under the President’s 5 B’s initiative.
A section of the gathering at the handing over ceremony
The handing over ceremony was hosted by the Ministry of Education Department Region 6 in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Yunis Civil and Building Construction.
Minster of Social Cohesion, Amna Ally highlighted that the 5 B’s initiative is one illustration that the government has the young people and education at heart.
She disclosed that the region is receiving most of the bicycles given to NGSA students this year. Ally encouraged the youths present at the ceremony to become an all-rounder student throughout their academic life.
Meanwhile, Mr. Fazil Yunis of Yunis Civil and Building Construction who made the donation of the fifty-two bicycles to the ministry said it was a desire of his to be a part of the B’s initiative. He expressed his willingness, once afforded the opportunity, to be able to take part and make more contributions in the near future. According to Yunis, ‘I did not regret doing it and will continue to do it’.
The Government of Guyana has gone head on with it’s B’s initiative and has garnered the attention from businesses all across the country who have pledged their support by making donations in the form of bicycles, boats, and buses to assist Guyanese. Starr Computers also contributed over 350 school bags to the Ministry with the 52 students who received the bicycles also receiving a school backpack each.
The Ministry honored the top 124 performers from across five regions “who have done exceedingly well” at the 2016 National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), by presenting them with bicycles and backpacks to give them a head start on preparations for their secondary school journey.
Thirty students from Georgetown, East Bank Demerara and East Coast Demerara schools in Demerara-Mahaica (Region Four) were recognised for their outstanding performance. The Georgetown list of honourees was led by Mr. Anthony Ferreira of Mae’s Under 12 and Mr. Aryan Singh of the Dharmic Rama Krishna, who tied for the top spot. The East Bank area was led by Ms. Chelsea Barnes of the Success Elementary School and the East Coast area by Annandai Diaram of the Valmiki Vidyalaya.
Four of the top ten students from Mahaica-Berbice (Region Five), led by Ms. Sandyah Ramoo, are from the Blairmont Primary School. The top 50 students from the East Berbice-Corentyne, led by Mr. Omesh Dyal, were also honoured at a ceremony held in the compound of the Department of Education. The Ministry, represented by programme staff, hosted a similar ceremony at the Suddie Primary School, Pomeroon-Supenaam (Region Two) and at the Leonora Primary School, Essequibo Islands-West Demerara (Region Three), where 20 and 12 students, respectively, were honoured.
