Guyana has recorded an increase in the number of students sitting the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, with preliminary results also showing a rise in the number of candidates securing multiple Grade Ones.
Minister of Education, Sonia Parag, said the developments reflect continued investment in the education sector and initiatives to support teachers and students.
She made the remark at the preliminary results ceremony for the 2026 CSEC, Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) and Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) examinations on Tuesday at the Marriott Hotel.
This saw 13,052 students write CSEC this year compared with 12,685 in 2025, representing an increase of 3 per cent.
The ministry requested from CXC a list of candidates who secured Grade Ones in eight or more subjects. A total of 264 candidates met that threshold in the preliminary results.
As a result, Minister Parag announced a significant increase in the number of students achieving 12 or more Grade One passes.
Of those, 78 secured 12 or more Grade Ones, a notable increase from the 59 candidates who achieved the same feat in 2025.
“It is another indication of the strong performance we are seeing this year,” she said.
Among the highest-performing candidates was Nitya Narine of Tagore High School in Berbice, who secured 26 Grade Ones and one Grade Two.
“Now, this is something the country has not seen. In all of the years of our results, I believe this is a wonderful first,” she emphasised, coming from Berbice.
The other leading candidates included Anushka Singh of Queen’s College, with 25 Grade Ones and one Grade Two.
Shreya Ramnarine of Anna Regina Secondary, with 22 Grade Ones and six Grade Twos, and Joseph Daniel of Bishop’s High School, with 21 Grade Ones.
J’kell Whyte of Queen’s College and Feiaz Dhanny of Saraswati Vidya Niketan each secured 20 Grade Ones.
Abhigyan Chatterdeo and Ethan Thakurdin, both of Queen’s College, earned 19 Grade Ones each.
Michael Somwar of Tagore High School and Zhijie Yang of Saraswati Vidya Niketan each secured 18 Grade Ones.
Sanjana Mohan, Anna Singh and David Thorne of Queen’s College, along with Serena Gangoo of Abrams’ Zuil Secondary, each earned 17 Grade Ones.
Minister Parag expressed congratulations to the students who excelled, as the government reaffirmed its continued investment in the education sector.
“We [government] will continue to strengthen our schools, support our teachers, expand opportunities, and make the investments necessary to ensure that every child, wherever they live in Guyana, can receive a quality education and fulfill their potential.
To the class of 2026, I wish you every success in the next chapter of your lives, and I look forward with great confidence to all that you will achieve and contribute to the future of our country. Congratulations once again,” she emphasised.
She stressed that the students should not yet be formally designated as the country’s top performers because the results remain preliminary.
Candidates now have an opportunity to request reviews of their examination results before the final results are confirmed.