GOVERNMENT’S effort to provide universal education to students throughout Guyana is proving fruitful as the 2008 National Grade Six Assessment results have shown that students in at least six regions have scored in the top 108.

Minister of Education Shaik Baksh said he is pleased with the results of the regions as they show that, “our policy of providing an equitable standard of education is working. We have put much more resources into the schools in the regions and we have been providing them with lots of resources such as text books and we will try and ensure that more trained teachers move into those regions.”

Minister Baksh noted that there will be concentrated efforts on the hinterland regions of 1, 7, 8, and 9 to increase student performance as these regions have not scored in the top 108.

One hundred and forty seven students from schools in Regions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10 are eligible for entry into President’s College.

Guyana has already achieved universal primary education and is working aggressively to attain universal secondary education.

&We are moving towards a situation of universal secondary education which means that we want to convert all the community high schools to discreet secondary schools,” he said.

Further he noted that the ministry aims to move students who are and will be placed in the primary tops in the primary schools to the discreet secondary schools where they will have a better opportunity of gaining a higher education.

&We still have a number of primary tops in the hinterland where it is not possible to establish secondary schools because of the small numbers, but we intend to establish more secondary schools in the hinterland with dormitory facilities,” Minister Baksh said.

The top thirteen students were Yogeeta Persaud of C.V Nunes Primary on the Essequibo Coast with the top score of 558 out of the total 578; Sayyid Rajab of Isa Islamic School with 556 marks; Arianna Seeraj from St Margaret’s Primary with a score of 553 marks; Shahrazaed Khan of Isa Islamic School with 552; Ridwaan Safi St Margaret’s Primary 551; Zimeena Rasheed of CV Nunes Primary 551; Crystal Ramdyal of West Ruimveldt Primary 551; Jonelle Europe of ABC Academy 551; Kavita Sawh of Dharmic Rama Krishna 549; Shaphan Hestick of New Guyana School 548; Cecil Cox of New Guyana School 548; Sharmila Ramlall of Leonora Primary 548 and Eunice Hammond of St. Margaret’s Primary 548 marks.

Government has been constructing and rehabilitating schools to provide students with a more conducive educational environment. Some of these schools include Black Water in Region One, Wakapau in Region Two and Santa Mission Primary in Region Three. Secondary schools include Aurora in Region Two, Bartica in Region Seven and Mahaica in Region Four.