Top performers excel again at advanced level exams
Stabroek News
August 22, 2002
Results of this year’s General Certificate Examinations (GCE) Advanced and Advanced Subsidiary levels (A-level) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) held just a few surprises since some of the top performers had previously excelled at the Caribbean Secondary Certificate Examination (CSEC).
Queen’s College (QC), Bishops’ High and St Stanislaus College, where details were available yesterday recorded better overall performances among students.
Aspiring electrical engineer, 18-year-old Tara Persaud of QC, who scored A’s in Further Mathematics and Mathematics and a B in Physics at the GCE A-level was elated. These grades have likely made her the top student in the country.
The Upper Sixth student is no stranger to academic success since two years ago, she copped nine grade ones and one grade two at the CSEC offered by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC). In addition to praising her mother, Premini Persaud, Tara expressed deep gratitude for the consistent support of her grandparents and uncles. She was especially thankful for the tutelage of her Physics teacher Duoaud Shah and Mathematics teachers, Mr Deoraj and Mrs Kissoon.
The Prashad Nagar resident enjoys chatting on the telephone, watching television, reading books and listening to music during her spare time.
Over at Bishops’ High School a record performance was recorded in law studies at the GCE A-level. Three Upper Sixth students — Yogini Lochan, Faye Barker and Nadia Singh — obtained A’s and one — Joann Lee — a grade B in the subject.
Lochan, 17, of Lot 20 La Jalousie, West Coast Demerara also wrote English Literature and secured a grade B. Born to Doodnauth and Rahoni Lochan, the prospective lawyer enjoys as her hobbies, reading, hanging out with friends and watching television. She credited her performance to her Law teacher, Claire Maison, her literature teacher, Gwendolyn Pyle, her parents, friends and headteacher. Lochan will attend the University of Guyana come next semester.
Barker, 17, of Supply, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara also wrote Accounts and Economics and secured grades C and D respectively in those subjects. Like Lochan, Barker wants to become a lawyer and she too starts classes at UG next semester. Barker enjoys reading, playing basketball and listening to music. She gave praise to God, her parents Megan and Calvin Barker, her teachers and friends.
Eighteen-year-old Singh, currently employed at the Neal and Massy Group of Companies, will also be attending UG. Apart from Law, she also wrote Literature and Economics and secured a grade C in the former and D in the latter.
A resident of Public Road, Ruimveldt, Singh lists as her hobbies listening to music, playing cricket and reading. She gave praise to her parents, Chandra and Ramkarran, her teachers and friends.
Lee also secured a grade D in Literature and will attend York University in Canada to pursue her studies in law. She lives in Newtown, Kitty and is the second of two children born to Ephraim and Ruth Lee. She said that her mother’s contribution to her success was tremendous. Lee hopes to commence her study life next year but until then she hopes to have a job. Lee likes hanging out with friends and basketball.
And principal of St Stanislaus College, James Fanfair, said that there was an improved performance overall at this year’s sitting of the CAPE and A-level examinations and lauded the efforts of all of the teachers of the school.
Among the school’s outstanding performers were Dominic Leung and Mirza Manraj.
Leung achieved an A in Mathematics and a B in Physics at A-levels, as well as a grade two in Chemistry and grade three at Mathematics at CAPE.
Manraj knows what he wants and just what he will have to do to accomplish his goals.
“After fifth form, I made a decision to study law [because] I wanted a profession that is independent of anybody and law is an independent contractor,” the teen stated. Come next month, the lanky teen intends to continue the quest for a legal career by starting the three-year LLB programme at UG.
Manraj copped grade ones in both units of CAPE law, and grade five’s in History (which he wrote at the last CAPE sitting in May/June) and Caribbean Studies, which was done in Lower Sixth Form. He was the only student at the school to have done unit one last year, and the only one to have done unit two in Upper Sixth.
“My credit goes to my law teacher, Ms. Camilla Edwards and her husband, Sydney, who provided the necessary materials; attorney-at-law Tracy Gibson for lending us text books for unit two; Mr. Deoraj, our Math teacher who, sometimes during classroom discussions, would bring certain issues to light; my parents, Meena and Sheik Manraj; and my uncle in Canada, Dr. Lea Manraj, who provided financial aid while I was studying.”
Meanwhile, in the GCE A-level subsidiary exams written in lower sixth, 16-year-old Vishaal Persaud of QC copped A’s in Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics.
The older of two children born to Rita and Evan Persaud, both of whom are University of Guyana lecturers in Computer Studies and Geology, respectively, the QC Lower Sixth student thanked his parents, and Mathematics teachers, Mr Shah, Mr Dey, Mr Seepersaud and Mr Kissoon, Physics tutor, Clarence Trotz, and for Chemistry, Sean Caleb. Vishaal enjoys playing the violin and chess and plans to pursue a career in Computer Science or Mechanical Engineering in the United States or Canada.
Daughter of Home Affairs Minister, Ronald Gajraj and General Manager of Trust Company Guyana, Chandra Gajraj, 17-year-old Aparna Gajraj exhibits humility.
The elder of two children, Aparna obtained A’s in Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics at the GCE A-level (subsidiary). At CSEC, she gained nine grade ones and one grade two. The Bel Air resident enjoys playing the piano. She plans to pursue a career in Mathematics and thanked her teachers Elinor Jordan, Shah, Dey, Seepersaud and Kissoon, Trotz, and Caleb.
And at St Stanislaus, Devon King, Loreen Stoll, Premnarine Sheorattan, and Devon Paul were among those excelling in lower sixth.
King achieved grade twos in Law, Economics and Communication Studies and a three in Accounting. Paul scored grade twos in both Law and History and five in Communication studies, all at CAPE.
“Yippee! Omigosh,” was the initial reaction of 17-year-old Loreen Stoll at the news of her results at this year’s examination.
A former student of the Bishops’ High School, she obtained grade one in Functional Spanish, two in Caribbean Studies and three in Communication Studies at CAPE.
The former business student, hopes to pursue Spanish wherever it takes her, since as she describes it, she just has a love for the subject.
Meanwhile, at Leonora, Sheorattan, who gained a B in Mathematics and an E in Physics at A-level (subsidiary); and grades two in Chemistry and three in Mathematics at CAPE, with great reserve, attributed his accomplishments to a lot of hard work, which would at times be done with friend Leung.
Preparing for his second year at the A-levels, Sheorattan, wishes to pursue Further Mathematics and also to rewrite Physics, since he was not at all pleased with his grade.
He hopes to pursue Civil Engineering at the University of Guyana in the future.