South A’Level students make the grade

RELIEF was the major emotion expressed by principals and students at most southern secondary schools yesterday, following the release of GCE A’Level results, by the Ministry of Education. From as early as 8 am, anxious students began crowding the corridors and principal offices of their various schools, waiting for the examination results to be handed out. Then, one by one, anxiety quickly turned into delight, as examination slips were greeted with screams, cheers, and in some instances, tears of joy. At Naparima Boys’ College, principal Maureen Atwell was full of praise for her students who, she said, had produced an “excellent, disciplined” effort in the 2003 examinations. “We have done exceptionally well this year,” she said, adding that while results still had to be tabulated, students had performed “even better than last year.”

Echoing her sentiments was ASJA Boys’ College principal, Alim Ali, who said that results were “just as good and in some cases even better” than the 2002 results. Ali said that the school had achieved 100 percent passes in both Physics and General Paper, while 88 percent of the student body achieved full certificates. While at Naparima Girls’ High School, vice-principal, Fairy Lalle, described the mood at the school as “satisfied and happy.” “Our girls worked very hard and we are happy with their overall results,” she said. At Presentation College, San Fernando, a member of staff said that the results were “consistent in comparison to other years.” However, she noted that “excellent strides were made in the Science subjects” with the majority of students attaining full certificates. Scholarship winners for the 2003 examination results are expected to be announced some time next month.