St. Rose’s girl is nation’s top CSEC performer

Aug 18, 2016 News

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This year’s top Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination performer is a product of St. Rose’s High School. While the institution has over the years had students among the top performing CSEC candidates, it has surpassed expectations this year.
And claiming the top spot this year is 16-year-old Fatima Karim of Tucville, Georgetown.
Karim’s name led a list of candidates, many of whom hailed from traditional top performing schools such as Queen’s College (QC) and more recently the Sarawati Vidya Niketan (SVN) Hindu School.
But an interesting development, yesterday, was the fact that neither Education Minister Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine nor Chief Education Officer, Mr. Olato Sam, attended the forum at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD) to announce the 2016 CSEC and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) results.
Presenting the 2016 CSEC results was Ms. Ingrid Trotman, Assistant Chief Education Officer (ACEO) (Nursery).
Based on a preliminary report on the examination made available by the Ministry yesterday, there was an increase in the number of candidates who wrote CSEC this year.
According to Trotman, there were a total of 12,809 candidate entries, which was translated to 8,269 from public institutions and 4,540 from private. There were 73,303 subject entries which saw the participation of 8,132 females and 4,677 males.
Trotman during her presentation noted that while the Ministry has not yet done a full analysis of individual candidates’ performances, “we have requested however, a list of candidates who have secured Grade one passes in eight or more subjects from the Caribbean Examination Council.”
The ACEO (Nursery) noted that in response to the Ministry’s request, a list of 157 candidates was made available. Of these, 46 secured 11 grade ones or more.
The top 10 on the list include the following candidates:

Fatima Karim (St. Rose’s High) – 19 Ones, 1 Two
Fatima Abdul Karim topped the country with an exceptional performance. The St Rose’s High student secured 19 grade one passes and 1 grade two.
Karim said that her walk to success was not filled entirely with studying but entailed some moments of fun and relaxation.
She said, however, sometimes she was forced to put a limit to the fun she was having. The 16-year-old said that she is extremely proud of her performance and has no regrets with the sacrifices which she had to make to be successful.
Karim hopes to one day become a Petroleum Engineer. Her interest in Engineering particularly came from having uncles and a grandfather, who are engineers in their own right.
Her next move is to sit the CAPE examinations next year or to start pursuing her studies in Engineering at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, USA.
She said that her support base was from family members and her teachers. The support from her teachers – ‘Sir’ Caryll, ‘Sir’ Kester, Ms Johnson and Ms Success – was instrumental in helping her to perform well in the various subject areas.

Kayshav Tewari (Queen’s College) – 19 Ones
Sixteen-year-old Kayshav Tewari understandably is pleased with his outstanding performance.
The 16-year-old QC standout secured 19 Grade One passes. In an invited comment to this publication yesterday he noted that “truly, I always knew it in my heart that I could do this.”
He however did not waste time to express thanks “…to Mother Saraswati for her grace and blessings in guiding me to do my best. I would like to thank my amazing parents for their unwavering support and guidance. This success is ours. They are my true inspiration for even attempting such a feat”.
The young man who hails from Lusignan, East Coast Demerara, also commended his teachers for their support and helping him to become the person he is today. “I thank them for all they’ve done,” said Tewari.
He plans on pursuing studies in the field of engineering and hopes to later delve into studies in philosophy. Ahead of that, though, he will be attending Nations University to complete his ‘A’ levels.

Aadilah Ali (Queen’s College) – 18 Ones, 3 Twos, 1 Three
Although Aadilah Ali is savouring some vacation time, she already has on her agenda plans to continue her studies at QC in the natural sciences. The 16-year-old gained 18 Ones, 3 Twos, 1 Three.
Speaking of her performance, yesterday, she said “I’m very elated and surprised at my accomplishment.” She credits her success to “Allah for blessing me with this achievement and my family for their endless support and encouragement. My teachers, my friends and each person that said a kind word of encouragement”.
Ali is an aspiring paediatrician.

Ramkumarie Ramdass (SVN) – 18 Ones, 1 Two
“The long wait for the results is finally over! I am happy and relieved!” The words of 17-year-old Ramkumarie Ramdass of the Saraswati Vidya Niketan (SVN) school, who is the fourth top CSEC student in Guyana. She secured 18 grade ones and 1 grade two. Ramdass told this newspaper that she is aspiring for a career in law, and will begin the steps to that profession with ‘A’ Levels. She thanked her hardworking parents whom she said always supported, guided and encouraged her. The ecstatic Ramdass expressed her gratitude to the principal of SVN for what she said was leading her in the right direction, and the teachers who were always willing to give the students their time and energy.
She also thanked the teachers of the Meten-Meer-Zorg Primary school for giving her a good foundation at the primary level.

Sariah Singh (Queen’s College) – 18 Ones
Sariah Singh is elated with her 18 grade one passes. “I am happy; I feel excited and proud. I am thankful to God, because without Him I would not be where I am today,” said the QC student, who is also grateful to teachers and parents for their priceless support. She too will advance her studies at QC, and spoke briefly of her vision of becoming a doctor someday.
“I don’t know what kind of doctor, but I want to become a doctor because I like helping people. I want to make a difference and I want people to remember me for that,” said the 16-year-old of Diamond Housing Scheme, East Coast Demerara.

Joshua Indarjit (Skeldon Line Path) – 17 Ones
Joshua Indarjit placed sixth in the nation at the CSEC examinations with his 17 grade one passes. Of his success he said that “it was all in God’s hands.” The 17-year-old said that on hearing of his performance he became filled with joy.
In terms of his preparations for examinations, Indarjit calmly said that his study pattern was random since he only picked up a book when he felt like it or was in the mood to study.
He has a keen interest in the area of Physics. This is so since he recognizes that the subject plays a part in every aspect of life. Moreover, it has to do with the future and technology. He said that although he has the love for Physics he is thinking of specializing in the energy sector.

Kimberly Najab (SVN) – 15 Ones, 3 Twos
Sixteen-year-old Kimberly Najab, a student of SVN, said that she thought she could have done a bit better at the CSEC examinations, but told this publication that she was satisfied with her results.
Najab attained 15 grade ones and three grade twos. Her sister, Victoria Najab who also attended the SVN School, secured 20 grade one passes last year. Najab said that she wanted to compete with her sister at CSEC and maintained that she was her (Kimberly’s) main inspiration. The business-inclined young lady declared that she wanted to further her studies in Business at an advanced level, and expressed hope that she would someday become a successful businesswoman.

Kevall Lall (Anna Regina) – 15 Ones
Kevall Lall, of Anna Regina Secondary was able to secure a place in the top 10 CSEC performers having gained 15 grade ones. He is essentially the top CSEC performer in Region Two. He disclosed yesterday that he did not expect to do as well as he did, although he had exhausted long hours studying and attended extra lessons.
According to the teenager, who will be celebrating his 17th birthday in October, his two older brothers were his greatest influence, as they also did well in the past.
He moreover said that he studied from 3am during the week when he had to write his examination. He stressed that the key principles to attaining success are not only based on studying alone and listening to whatever is taught in the classroom, but also requires understanding what is taught.
The 16-year-old Lall will be pursuing his ‘A’ Levels in Civil Engineering at the Nations University.

Pritisha Baldeo (SVN) – 14 Ones, 3 Twos, 3 Threes
Excitement, contentment, appreciation and happiness were expressed by 16-year-old Pritisha Baldeo, upon learning of her success at the CSEC examinations. Her performance has allowed her to claim 14 grade one passes, 3 twos and 3 threes.
When contacted by Kaieteur News yesterday, she spoke of her future plans. Baldeo said she hopes to eventually venture into the medical field and cited Paediatrics as her desired area of specialisation, as she has an affinity for children.
Baldeo hinted that she would further her studies in the United States of America.

Narindra Persaud (SVN) – 14 Ones, 3 Twos, 3 Threes
A future doctor, Narindra Persaud, 16, said that he was happy and proud of his performance. He has accepted with pride his 14 grade one passes, along with 3 twos and 3 threes.
The SVN student stated that he was unsure of his next step in regard to studies and listed the University of Guyana or Queen’s College as possible options to begin medicine, or CAPE.
He said that his grades were as a result of studying every night, and he thanked his teachers, parents and friends for being there for him.

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