First place in SEA 2022: Anushka Singh

Anushka Singh had the highest score at Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) in 2022. And although her placement was not announced with the usual fanfare, the former student at Gandhi Vedic Memorial in Aranguez still beams with pride.

The 13-year-old told Newsday Kids, "I feel very proud and happy that all my hard work paid off. Everyday I would go to school and try my best. I would do a lot of practice papers. I had faith in myself, I had faith in God and I had faith in my teachers."

With an overall score of 274.37, Anushka scored 98.5 per cent in math, 96.6 per cent in English language arts, and full marks in creative writing, earning her a place at her first choice school, St Augustine Girls' High School (SAGHS). But as happy as she is to have topped the exam, she thinks she would have been happier if she had known her placement on the day the results were announced. She firmly believes students should know where they placed when results are announced.

"For me, it was definitely a motivation to work harder, and something to work toward. So seeing somebody on top wouldn't make a standard five student feel bad, it would make them have an aim to work toward."

Nadia Singh, Anushka's mother said, "We knew all along she had it in her. Since standard one she kept telling my older daughter, who placed 58th when she wrote SEA, 'Yuh know sissy I'm going to beat you, I'm going to top your performance' and so said so done but we did not know it was going to be to this calibre."

Anushka triumphed despite having to prepare for the exam during the covid19 pandemic and losing her grandfather the week before the exam. She said covid was her biggest challenge.

"It was difficult at times. You know, you don't get to go to school and see all your friends. It's way different than physical school, but the teachers at Gandhi made it as easy as possible."

Anushka said she never thought about SEA as a "big exam" but treated it as a "usual weekly test or practice paper. I didn't really stress out about it." She did practice tests everyday, at home and at school, and never did any private lessons. Her mother helped her reinforce what she covered at school. She is grateful to her standards four and five teachers for all their hard work.

Anushka said her classmates, both former and current, were all very excited when they found out she had placed first.

Her sister Ananda, a form six student at SAGHS said, "Mom messaged me and I got excited. I told my whole class. Me, and a couple of my friends went down stairs to tell Anushka the news. We found her, she was with her friends but I don't think she was expecting it because such a long time had passed. When we told her, all her friends were around so they all screamed and were excited. Another one of her friends told the whole class and they all start to make noise. Everybody was excited."

Anushka's marks were exceptional and that is when her mother contacted the Ministry of Education to find out her rank. Months later, the ministry e-mailed her with the good news. By that time, Anushka had all but forgotten about her mother's request under the Freedom of Information Act, which gives members of the public access to some official documents of public authorities.

When she grows older, Anushka hopes to be a lawyer. Her favourite subjects are science and literature, and she enjoys reading, listening to music, cricket and volleyball. She advises other students, "Have faith in yourself, have faith in God. Focus! Do as many practice tests as you can. Don't stress out yourself and have faith."