By Maimuna Sey-Jawo
Trust Bank Gambia Limited on Wednesday staged the 16th edition of the Excellence in the New Millennium Award, which recognises Top Ten outstanding students in the Grade Nine Gabece.
The event took place at the Atlantic Hotel.
Out of the 10 students, two candidates came from Presentation of Mary Basic Cycle School, while St. Therese’s, St. Peter’s, Anne Marie Javouhey Yalding, Tallinding Kotu, Old Yundum and SOS Harman Gmeiner each had a candidate.
Each of the awardees received a cheque of D5, 000, a tablet, and a certificate of excellence while Presentation of Mary Basic Cycle school got an additional D30, 000 for producing the highest number of students. Also, the most outstanding student among the ten was awarded D5, 000.
In his welcoming address, Ebrima Sallah, the Managing Director of Trust Bank said the purpose of the event is to help promote quality education as well as acknowledge and celebrate the achievement of hard hardworking and deserving boys and girls .
“We are grateful to the West African Examination Council (WAEC) for always providing us with a list of the top ten outstanding students of the year,” he said.
The Trust Bank Director said they were informed that the total number of students of the candidates that entered for the 2018 Gabece examination was 23,616 representing 273 schools countrywide.
Out of the total candidates that sat the exams, 10,807 were males and 12,809 were females. ”Out of this figure 19 students scored aggregate 6 including the top ten that are awarded today,” he stated, adding that in the history of the awards, girls excelled consistently higher than boys and that trend has been manifested this year again with eight out of the ten awardees female.
Sallah concluded by urging the entire students to make better choices in their lives, because one cannot achieve excellence in your life if you don’t manage yourself and you cannot manage yourself if you don’t manage your choices.
“So manage your choices and you will manage your lives,” he advised the students.
The Minister of Basic and Secondary Education, Claudiana Cole, said the organisation of such an event with all the investment in the process is a cause worthy of celebration and she thanked Trust Bank for maintaining it over the years.
Minister Cole further noted that the effort by Trust Bank to complement the efforts of the government by designing a corporate social responsibility policy that includes support in the areas of health, education, sports, and environment is indeed a worthy cause.
She said her ministry is honoured to join Trust Bank to celebrate dedication and commitment to achieving education goals through excellent performance.
She congratulated the student winners for their commitment to acquire education and all the efforts being put in the process to gain excellence, and urged them to continue doing more.
Bokary Secka, representative WAEC Head of National Office said in 2019 GABECE, a total of 19 candidates (8 male, 11 Female) obtained aggregate six distinction in six subjects and that included English language, mathematics, sciences and social and environmental studies.
According to Secka, for one to be qualified for this award must obtain the following, the Candidate must have obtained aggregate six, the candidate must have a distinction grade (that grade 1) in eight subjects and the candidates must have a standardized score that T – score which should rank among the top ten uppermost T-score.
He thanked Trust Bank, parents and teachers for their hard work in bringing up their children, noting that without the motivation of parents and teachers it will difficult be to achieve this day.
On her part, Grace M. Bass, the most outstanding student of 2019 Gabece said Trust Bank is just one among many recognized for their immense contribution in national development.
She thanked them for empowering and encouraging students always and challenged her fellow students to be hardworking.
