Several of the 166 children awarded places at Guyana’s premier high school Queen’s College (QC) based on their scores at this year’s national Grade Six Assessment (GSA), may not take up places there.
Top student Yogeeta Persaud has already indicated her intention to attend Anna Regina Multilateral School and now Arianne Chand of Marian Academy, one of two students who placed fourteenth in the country, says she just might remain where she is.
“There are some things at Marian Academy that I want to do in the secondary school,” Arianne said in an interview with this newspaper on Monday. “It’s [Marian Academy] really cool. I was there since nursery.”
Arianne, who scored 547 marks, said she did better than she expected being among the top 15. She expected to be among the top 100. She said she was excited and everyone in her family was excited for her.
Asked what she would like to do as a career, she said that she was not too sure. “Maybe, I would be a business executive like my mom. I like dealing with money that is why I am the treasurer of my house, Our Lady of Guadeloupe, in my school [primary division]… but I have time to think about that.”
She credits her grandmother who gave her extra lessons on Sundays, “Ms Green my other lesson teacher, my teacher Sir Gonsalves” and her father and mother. Asked why she opted for extra lessons, she said that when she saw how hard the schoolwork was she decided to take extra lessons. “Driving up to Mahaica to my grandmother for lessons on Sundays definitely paid off,” she said.
For Rafena Mustapha, attending QC is a dream, which will remain just that.
Rafena, 11, of Leonora Primary School and of Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara, was one of two children to place seventeenth in the country with 545 marks.
When this newspaper visited her home on Monday evening, she was surrounded by her beaming grandparents and her mother Shamwattie Monilall. Rafena said she was happy with the news as she had not expected to do so well, though she had thought she would have gained a place at QC. “Queen’s College is kind of a dream,” Rafena said.
However, her mother, a single parent, said Rafena would not be attending QC as she could not afford to send her there. She said her daughter would have to attend a school close to her home.
Rafena said that whatever spare time she had, she used to study and her grandfather Monilall assisted her.
She thanked her mother, grandparents, her teacher Latchmin Gopaul, the headmaster and other teachers at her school. Rafena, who aspires to be a doctor said that she was almost always in first place at school. Asked about the exam, Rafena said Science was hard for her. She advises other students to study hard.
The other seventeenth place GSA student Nabeeha Ali did not discuss her choice of secondary school.
The petite and eloquent Nabeeha, who gained 545 marks, said she was absolutely thrilled and remarked that someone may have to pinch her to assure her that she was not dreaming. Nabeeha said she had been expected to do well but not in the top 20.
Without any hesitation, she said that the period leading up to the examinations was a “tough one” noting that the afternoon lessons were new to her. Nabeeha said she got used to the preparation that was needed and managed to put in the hours. The 12-year-old aspires to be a journalist and is considering the broadcast media.
Nabeeha who lives in Kitty said she reads to relax and spent time before the examinations getting more acquainted with her favourite author, Enid Blyton. She credits her parents, Shaneeza and Munaf Ali, with her success along with her teachers at the school. (Miranda La Rose and Iana Seales)
