By LAUREL V WILLIAMS Monday, July 16 2012

AT least two students, who wrote this year’s Secondary Entrance Assessment exams (SEA) at Happy Hill Hindu School in Gasparillo, have attributed their success to the teachings of their teachers and principal.

Students Giselle Ramlal and Kyle Remy were elated when they collected their result slips. Ramlal, 11, was among the country’s top 200 students and passed for her first choice, Naparima Girls’ High School. Remy passed for his second choice, ASJA Boys’ College in San Fernando.

Speaking in a soft voice while at the school located at Bonne Aventure , Ramlal said she did a lot of revising and received support from teachers, relatives and her parents. She recalled when she was in Second Year at the school, she had to undergo surgery on her left eye to remove cataract. But this medical condition, she added, never prevented her from learning.

“In Second Year doctors discovered it and I had to do a surgery. They said I had it from birth but we did not know. Our teacher Miss Donna Maharaj gave us lessons after schools and she explained everything to us,” Ramlal said.

Ramlal’s mother Geeta, said her daughter’s disability never affected her school work.

Remy said he was very happy but a little sad since he was the only student from the school who past for ASJA college. “All my friends passed for other schools so I am a bit sad . But I will meet new friends and I am sure I will see my friends from this school. I too had lessons after school with Miss and we understood anything she taught us,” Remy said. He admitted, however that he had to give up karate lessons in the months prior to the examination.

Speaking with Newsday, a staff member, who wished not to be named, said of the 16 students who wrote SEA, six passed for seven-year schools, eight for five-year school and only two for life centres. One student passed for Shiva Boys Hindu College in Penal and others for Gasparillo Secondary formerly Gasparilo Composite School.

“There has been a tremendous improvement in the last two years at this school. The school did well and we have a student in the top 200. We have lots of activities taking place in this school,” the official said.

The school had been in the news recently after allegations surfaced of a student being spat upon by a teacher. School principal, Chanadai Maharaj, and parents on the school’s compound declined to comment on the issue when Newsday visited.