Top Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) students have been told that the Caribbean region needs its young people.

This was underscored yesterday as the region’s top young scholars, along with representatives of the Council, met with Minister of Education and Human Resource Development, Ronald Jones, and Minister of State, Patrick Todd at the Dame Elsie Payne complex.

The visit formed part of four days of activities for the awardees for outstanding performance in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) May/June 2008 examinations. 

Minister Jones in congratulating the students said: “We need the expertise and skills of all of our young people; the investment of years of sacrifice is something we want to benefit from…we don’t want to see our young people dying on the highways and by-ways, from gun-shots and drugs and violence… whatever you do do it well.. Achieve and go to the top of the class.”

In his remarks, Minister Todd urged the awardees not to become complacent and to continue to adopt the approach that brought them this far.  While urging them not to be arrogant or aloof, he added: “We in the region are depending on you to propel us in terms of national development, so be innovative, be creative in agriculture, engineering, the arts, medicine or information technology.”

The Most Outstanding Candidate Overall in the Region in the CSEC examinations was Yana-Marisa Edwards, a student of Queen’s College, Guyana. She achieved Grade I in 14 subjects and a Grade II in one subject. This is the third consecutive year that a student of Queen’s College, Guyana, has won the award.

Jordanna Deane of St. Joseph’s Convent, Trinidad and Tobago, was the Most Outstanding Performer in the CAPE. The first female and third student from Trinidad and Tobago to win the award, she achieved Grade I in 10 CAPE Units with all As in the Module grades.  

The CSEC and CAPE awards programme enables the CXC to promote greater public awareness of outstanding performances by students and encourages students across the region to strive for excellence in regional examinations.

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