By Darcel Choy Saturday, September 22 2012

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Well done: Gender, Youth and Child Development Minister Marlene Coudray congratulates Zachary De Lima, left, and Atiba Cudjoe winners of the ministry'...

Cabinet on Thursday awarded 372 scholarships to students who wrote the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE).

Education Minister Dr Tim Gopeesingh made the announcement yesterday at an event for a National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving for schools held at the Centre of Excellence in Macoya.

He said 70 open scholarships and 302 additional scholarships will be awarded at a cost of $53 million. He said the number of scholarships has increased over the last two years. “In 2011, we gave 73 open and 281 additional scholarships which totalled 354. We have given 28 more scholarships. In 2010 we gave 329 scholarships, 57 open and 272 additional,” he said.

Gopeesingh also named Marcus Isaac Belasco from Naparima College, San Fernando and Brad Bachu from Presentation College, Chaguanas as winners of the President’s Medal

Belasco was the top performing student in Mathematics, Natural Sciences and Environmental Studies while Bachu was the top performing student in Business, Languages, Modern Studies, Technical Studies, Technological Studies, Visual and Performing Arts and General Studies.

He said out of 134 secondary schools and 18 private secondary schools in the country 40 secondary schools won scholarships an increase from last year where 31 schools won scholarships.

Gopeesingh said 3,500 students wrote CAPE and 90 percent got Grades One to Five.

St Augustine Girls’ High School received the most scholarships winning 17 Open and 19 Additional for a total of 36 scholarships.

When Newsday contacted yesterday the school’s acting principal Joanne Mahadeo yesterday, she said she was extremely pleased with the school’s results.

“The students have worked very hard and they were very focused throughout and they had the support of an extremely committed staff,” she said.

Naparima Girls’ High School had the second highest number of scholarships with seven Open and 28 Additional for a total of 35.

Six government schools also won scholarships including Couva East Secondary with five Additional, Debe Secondary with one Additional, El Dorado East Secondary with two Additional, San Fernando Central Secondary with one Open and four Additional and Signal Hill Secondary School in Tobago with one Additional.

Scholarship schools:

ASJA Girls’, San Fernando — 4 Open, 15 Additional

ASJA Boys, San Fernando — 7 Additional

ASJA Girls, Charlieville — 3 Additional

Bishop Anstey and Trinity College East Sixth Form — 1 Open, 5Additional

Bishop Anstey High School — 1 Open, 7 Additional

Couva East Secondary — 5 Additional

Cowen Hamilton Secondary — 1 Additional

Debe Secondary — 1 Additional

El Dorado East Secondary — 2 Additional

Fatima College — 1 Open, 6 Additional

Fyzabad Anglican Secondary — 1 Additional

Hillview College — 19 Additional

Holy Faith Convent, Couva — 1 Open, 17 Additional

Holy Faith Convent, Penal — 3 Additional

Holy Name Convent, Port-of-Spain — 2 Open, 5 Additional

Iere High School — 3 Additional

Lakshmi Girls-High School — 3 Open, 19 Additional

Miracle Ministries High School, Couva — 2 Open, 2 Additional

Naparima College — 5 Open, 24 Additional

Naparima Girls’ High School — 7 Open, 28 Additional

North Eastern College — 2 Additional

Presentation College, Chaguanas — 11 Open,11 Additional

Presentation College, San Fernando — 3 Open, 13 Additional

Queen’s Royal College — 3 Additional

San Fernando Central Secondary — 1 Open, 4 Additional

Signal Hill Secondary School — 1 Additional

St Augustine Girls’ High School — 17 Open, 19 Additional

St Benedict’s College — 1 Open, 1 Additional

St George’s College — 1 Open, 3 Additional

St Joseph’s Convent, Port-of-Spain — 5 Open, 23 Additional

St Joseph’s Convent, San Fernando — 9 Additional

St Joseph’s Convent, St Joseph — 2 Open, 18 Additional

St Stephen’s College — 5 Additional

St Francois Girls’ College — 2 Additional

St Mary’s College — 1 Open, 7 Additional

SWAHA Hindu College — 1 Additional

Trinity College, Maraval — 2 Additional

Vishnu Boys Hindu College — 2 Additional

Waterloo Secondary School — 3 Additional.



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