Students at less noticed schools improve at CSEC
Stabroek News
September 9, 2003
Students of South Ruimveldt Secondary and St Mary’s High School are celebrating the success of their schools at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.
A student of South Ruimveldt, Alanka Luke obtained six subjects with four grade ones. Luke also got A profiles or distinctions in History and Social Studies. She obtained ones in Principles of Business, Office Procedures, Caribbean History and Social Studies and a grade Two in Principles of Accounts and a Three in English A.
At St Mary’s, Samantha Carr secured two grade Ones, two grade Twos and a grade Three.
Both schools are new to the examinations with St Mary’s High recently converted to a junior secondary from a community high.
It was the first time that St Mary’s entered students for the examinations. It was the second time that South Ruimveldt, which was established a few years ago, had entered students.
Headmistress of South Ruimveldt, Gloria Croft told Stabroek News that Luke’s achievement for the school was welcome as students were not allowed to write more than six subjects. In addition, she noted that students were placed at the school based on their Secondary Schools Entrance Examinations (SSEE) scores, and theirs were among the lowest. In addition some of their scores were not graded.
Luke attended St Pius Primary and had not been placed at a school because of her results at SSEE. However, from the time she entered the school her grades were good and she has been a student to receive awards at the school’s prize giving ceremony.
She told Stabroek News that she planned on going on to Sixth Form at Bishops’ High to pursue Law, Sociology, Caribbean Studies and Communication Studies. She wants to become a lawyer.
Alanka Luke from West Ruimveldt, said that she was disappointed in her English A results. Her teachers, she said were very encouraging, particularly Croft, Walter Woolford and her family.
Croft said that generally speaking she was proud of the students’ efforts, knowing their entry level, and what they had achieved. Thirty per cent of the students obtained five subjects and another 40% four subjects with grades one to three.
She said Social Studies was the best subject with 85% obtaining grades One to Three. “Children and staff are happy and very encouraged by the results.”
In Integrated Science students worked under severe constraints and without laboratory facilities, but a Peace Corps Volunteer worked assiduously with the nine students. Eight were successful with two securing grade Twos and six, grade Threes.
The Headmistress at St Mary’s, Letitia Lake noted that even though the school had been upgraded from a community high to a junior secondary students still bore the stigma of low achievers normally attached community high school pupils.
She said that with the success achieved by Carr and other students, she hoped that stigma would be completely eradicated.
She thanked the teachers of the fifth form, who in spite of industrial action, worked with the students.
Nine students obtained five subjects; 23 students got four; 27 got three, 26 got two and 27, one.
In the past many students of St Mary’s under the community high system either dropped out and a few wrote the disbanded Secondary Schools Proficiency Examinations. If they obtained high grades they were then allowed to enter the secondary system to write the CSEC examinations.
