Region Five pupils celebrate excellent NGSA performances

Schools across Region Five are celebrating outstanding performances at the 2026 National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), with pupils  earning places among the region’s top performers and securing admission to some of the country’s leading secondary schools.

Mortice Primary School in Mahaicony led the region’s standout performances with two students among the top ten. Eleven-year-old Ranveer Itwaru scored 483.63 marks to earn a place at Queen’s College, while Daffanie Persaud gained 482.63 marks and also secured admission to Queen’s College.

Itwaru said he was surprised and delighted to be among Region Five’s top performers and on the national list. He credited his parents, sister and teachers for their unwavering support.

Persaud, who hopes to become a lawyer, said she felt proud of her achievement. She recalled briefly losing concentration when a blackboard fell during one of the examinations but regained her focus and completed the paper successfully. She thanked her parents, teachers and siblings for supporting her throughout her preparation.

The New Sapodilla School of Excellence, a private institution, also celebrated two top performers. Amiya Suenarine scored 483.61 marks to gain a place at Queen’s College, while Emily Benjamin earned 480.92 marks and secured admission to The Bishops’ High School.

Suenarine said she was shocked to learn she had made the Region Five top ten. Aspiring to become a lawyer, she said the sacrifices she made while preparing for the examinations contributed to her success.

Benjamin said she became overwhelmed with excitement after hearing her name announced among the region’s top performers while watching the live results with her classmates. She hopes to become a flight attendant and thanked God, her parents and teachers for helping her achieve her success.

Rosignol Primary School also produced two top performers. Gabriella Hooper scored 481.71 marks to earn a place at The Bishops’ High School, while her classmate Angelina Persaud gained 480.92 marks and also secured admission to the school.

Hooper said she was too nervous to check her results herself and relied on her mother and aunt to do so. She thanked God, her parents and teachers for their support and said she believed her hard work would pay off.

Persaud said she expected to top her school but did not anticipate being among the region’s top ten. She described the examinations as manageable and thanked her parents and teachers for their encouragement.

Other schools also celebrated exceptional performances.

Marita Calistro of Moraikobai Primary scored 480.95 marks and earned a place at The Bishops’ High School. She said she expected to do well but did not anticipate being among the region’s top performers.

Cotton Tree Primary produced two high achievers. Kerriel Walkers scored 480.61 marks to secure a place at The Bishops’ High School, while Adina Hanif gained 479.93 marks and earned admission to St. Stanislaus College.

Walkers said her results came as a surprise and credited her mother, who taught her from Grades Five to Six, for helping her prepare.

Hanif said she was not surprised by her performance because she had set high goals for herself. She hopes to become a doctor and thanked her parents and teachers for their constant encouragement.

Hopetown Primary’s LeBron Joseph, 11, scored 480.01 marks to secure a place at The Bishops’ High School. He said preparing for the NGSA required many sacrifices, including setting aside electronic devices, completing past papers with his mother and studying consistently.

“When I stepped into the exam room, I felt a bit nervous, but it wasn’t anything to worry about. I just had to focus, put away all the distractions around me, read the questions carefully and then answer them,” said Joseph, who aspires to become a mechanical engineer.