Blind Society boasts 80% pass rate at 2015 CSEC

Aug 19, 2015 News

The 80 percent pass rate of candidates of the Guyana Society for the Blind at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination this year has been dubbed a laudable achievement. This is in spite of the fact that the pass rate represents a 4.6 percent decline from that obtained last year, which is perhaps linked to the fact that candidates wrote more subjects on this occasion.
A total of 10 candidates were entered to sit the 2015 examination, and according to Coordinator of the Society’s CSEC Programme, Ganesh Singh, most of them were able to acquire at least a few subjects.
At a press conference yesterday, Singh disclosed that the candidates together wrote a total of 46 subjects, even as he pointed out that none of them wrote more than five subjects, although the option was available to sit as many as seven.
Last year the Society recorded an overall pass rate of 84.6 percent, with top performing student Rosemary Ramit, securing five grade one passes followed by Odessa Blair with five grade two passes.
Based on the results this year, candidates secured a 100 percent pass rate in the four subject areas of Social Studies, Principles of Business, Office Administration and Caribbean History.
TOP PERFORMERS
Thirty-six-year-old Alwyn Adams has been named the top performing student with passes in five subject areas. He secured grade one passes in Principles of Business, Office Administration and Social Studies and grade two passes in English and Human and Social Biology.
This year marked the first attempt at writing the CSEC examination for Adams, a resident of Stewartville, West Coast Demerara, who was born visually impaired. He disclosed that the most challenging subject for him was Human and Social Biology, but nevertheless, he was hoping to achieve five grade one passes.
“I am satisfied,” said Adams yesterday as he disclosed his plan to pursue studies at the University of Guyana, with the vision of eventually becoming an entrepreneur focused on providing transportation services mainly to persons who are blind/visually impaired.
“My goal and dream is to establish a transportation service that will transform the way people look at transportation in Guyana. The services that are offered are quite sloppy in my opinion.”
“We have taxis transporting blind people and not seeing that they reach into the premises…and also the way minibuses do it (operate), is totally not acceptable,” said Adams.
Securing the title of second best performing student this year is 41-year-old Guillian Layne of Lodge Housing Scheme, Georgetown. She too wrote five subjects and secured grade one passes in Principles of Business, Office Administration and English Language; a grade two pass at Social Studies and grade three at Human and Social Biology.
The visually impaired Layne, a teacher of more than 20 years, confided that she decided to write the CSEC subjects to prove to detractors that she is as capable as any other teacher in the system. Layne has taught at a number of schools including the St Rose’s High School Unit for the Blind and Lodge Nursery.

From left: Alwyn Adams, Guillian Layne, Ceion Rollox and Douglas Tika.

She had earlier attended the Institute for Distance and Continuing Education and the Cyril Potter College of Education. At the latter institution she had commenced the Early Childhood programme, but was asked to discontinue the programme since it was not seen as most suitable for her ability.
Layne is however hopeful that with her recent success that she would be given another chance to complete the programme.
“I felt very discriminated against and offended; they wanted to give me a Teacher Aid (programme) after teaching for 16 years,” lamented Layne, who plans on seeking support to complete the programme she started at the CPCE.
Ceion Rollox, who had attended the Sophia Special School and the Open Door Centre for the Differently Able, was long deemed a hopeless student. However, with the support of the dedicated tutors at the Blind Society, he was able to defy the odds and achieve what many thought was impossible. He wrote five subjects and gained grade one passes in Principles of Business and Social Studies; grade two passes in Office Administration and English and grade three in Human and Social Biology. He has already been accepted at the University of Guyana to commence the Communication programme.
Also present at yesterday’s press conference was 26-year-old Douglas Tika, who secured grade three passes in the subject areas of Caribbean History, Social Studies and Office Administration. Last year, the Enterprise, East Coast Demerara resident wrote Human and Social Biology, Principles of Business and English, and he secured all grade one passes. He has applied to the University of Guyana to undertake the Communications programme too.
JUST THE BEGINNING
According to President of the Society, Mr Cecil Morris, “once again we feel very happy, because last year if we thought it was a fluke then we know this year it’s not a fluke, because our students have performed creditably”. He disclosed that the candidates who participated in the examination prepared for a mere eight months. The preparation, which saw the candidates utilizing the Job Access With Speech (JAWS) software, was quite intense.
JAWS is said to be the world’s most popular screen reader, and was developed for computer users whose limited or lack of vision, prevents them from seeing screen content or navigating with a mouse. It makes available to them Speech and Braille output for the most popular computer applications that are available.
“There was lots of shouting, screaming, cussing…because we expected that these students would have done well, but at the same time we did not give them a chance to not do well,” Morris reflected.
He however cautioned the students, four of whom met the press yesterday, that “this is not the end, this is just the beginning, because new doors are opened, and in order for those doors to be opened you have to continue working and working very hard.”
Even as he stressed that “nothing in this life comes without sacrifice” he pointed out that the Society has assumed the task to help the blind and visually impaired individuals to achieve their academic goals so that they too can make their mark in society.
“We want to invite anybody (blind or visually impaired) who is sitting at home to come out and get involved and make yourself marketable,” Morris proposed.
Also speaking at the press conference yesterday was Ms Vanessa Low-A-Chee, who taught the candidates English and Principles of Business, underscored that the preparation for the examination was no small undertaking. She disclosed that while some candidates are visually impaired, some are in fact completely blind, suggesting the magnitude of the challenge they are faced with to write CSEC alongside their visually able counterparts. She however, contended that the results achieved are indicative of the fact that “they are in no way disabled.”
The support of the Ministry of Education, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company and other entities and individuals towards the programme, was also recognized by officials of the Blind Society yesterday.

Pic name Blind top performers

Caption: From left: Alwyn Adams, Guillian Layne, Ceion Rollox and Douglas Tika.