Public School duo share top NGSA spot

The top spot for the 2019 National Grade Six Assessment Examinations is being shared by two students of the public school system.

The two students, Dave Chowtie of Graham’s Hall Primary and Venisha Lall of CV Nunes Primary both gained 532 marks out of a possible 536 to snatch the top spot.

Both students expressed surprise at topping the country, but explained to the media that their performance is as a result of hard work and determination.

They both thanked their parents and teachers for the support in the lead up to the exams.

The results were announced this morning by the Minister of Education, Nicolette Henry.

The Minister reported improved performances in Mathematics, while the other three subject areas saw small declines in the overall pass rate when compared to last year.

Minister Henry said all of the nation’s children ought to be congratulated.

She noted that she was pleased that more public school students have broken into the Top 1% bracket which is usually dominated by students from private schools.

There are over 45 public school students in the Top 100.

The Minister said while Mathematics has seen an increase in the performance rate with 42% compared to 38.3% last year, she remains confident that the score will to continue to climb for the subject as the Government continues to invest in the education sector with specific interest being given to mathematics.

The overall english language pass rate stood at 57.4%, which is a decline from 60.6% last year. 42.4% of the students gained 50% or more in science and social studies saw a 7% decline from 46.1% last year to 39% this year.

14,200 students wrote the examination in April and according to the Chief Education Officer, Marcel Hudson, the improvement in overall results is not something that could happen overnight.

He explained that there is now an effort to rework and make changes to the curriculum for the primary schools as there have not been changes since 1976. Mr. Hudson encouraged parents to continue to be supportive of their children, especially those who did not perform as well as their parents might have expected.

He said he did not attend Queens College but yet today he stands as the nation’s Chief Education Officer.

The full results have been released online and the exam slips have been sent to all primary schools for distribution to parents.