By Ryhaan Shah
It has become an annual rite to celebrate the achievements of the students who have excelled at the CSEC and CAPE examinations. We heap praise on them and share in the joy because this is the one measure of true merit and excellence that all Guyana can trust.
Because the exams are marked abroad, they have the cloak of secrecy and anonymity and we therefore feel assured that they have not been corrupted or tampered with at any level.
The top performers who excel have become the standard bearers each year of the excellence that is still possible.
This in a society that has become jaded and cynical about every reward, award, prize, title and position because they are almost always infected by one or more of the corruptions of cronyism, nepotism, racism and partisan politics.
It is always a case of who you know, who knows you, or what you are willing to pay to gain an advantage or a win. In this environment, we can hardly be criticised for celebrating the only standard of meritorious achievement that is left to us.
My congratulations go out to all the top performers and to every student who worked hard and gained those valuable passes at the CSEC or CAPE which they need to fulfil their dreams and ambitions.
This year, as in recent years, regional schools took many of the top spots at CSEC. It is a remarkable feat since most of the student intake at these schools are not usually the top performers at the NGSA (National Grade Six Assessment) exams.
Those top performers are placed at leading city schools like Queen’s College and Bishops’ High School and they are almost always expected to dominate the winning positions in the CSEC exam results.
Last year, however, Saraswati Vidya Niketan (SVN), located at Cornelia Ida, had the best CSEC performer. This year, SVN took four of the top 10 CSEC spots and two others were won by students of Skeldon Line Path School and Anna Regina Secondary. Three went to Queen’s College and the topmost performer attended St Roses High School.
With six of the 10 top performers coming from regional schools with students who were not, according to the NGSA results, academic high fliers, questions could be raised about the methodology used or the placements that result from the NGSA assessments which are done locally.
Or, perhaps, it is the academic programmes of the regional schools that have created top performers from average students that should be studied with an eye to establishing their academic programmes in other schools.
SVN, in particular, has seen its performance rate rise steadily since the school was established. With its winning performance last year – and again, this year – anyone would expect the Ministry of Education to make an effort to meet with the school’s principal and staff to look at the policies and programmes that have created such success.
To date, no such consultation has happened. Perhaps, it is because of SVN Principal Swami Aksharananda’s active participation in public discussions on various subjects, his ideas and arguments being geared to encouraging critical thinking and spirited discussions on important national issues.
In Guyana, however, critical minds are ignored and sidelined. It is sycophants who are rewarded. In fact, critics and criticism are not welcomed. They are viewed as being contrary to national development and even unpatriotic, and Swamiji has suffered such public abuse on occasion.
Because this particular corruption infects every level of government and society, information and advice that could help improve our education system and give more of our children a better chance at academic success are sacrificed for petty political expediency. Our young people show how much is possible with their winning results then often watch their prospects dwindle as the reality of Guyana’s corruptions sets in. Then they leave for countries where it is merit that matters. And who can blame them?
The brain drain of our best and brightest have continued for 50 years and counting and no government has moved to root out the culture of corruption. Creating a fair and just society remains a pipe dream.
This does make our annual celebration of all that is possible ring hollow. But we do it, perhaps, with every hope that this time, this year, we will work to make it right for our children and their future. They are our pride and hope. When will we fulfil our end of the bargain and start the process of changing Guyana for the better?
When will we stop failing our children?
