TEACHERS at Brown’s Hall Primary School in St Catherine have been lauded by parents for their children’s success in this year’s Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examinations.

Maria Whyte, who is the mother of Ihka Brown, who will be attending Kingston College, says the dedication of grade six teachers Stacy Nelson and Damion Thomas is “unbelievable”.

She told JIS News that the teachers are with their students on the online platforms up to 11:00 pm at nights, and “they work very hard”.

“I have never seen this before. It is the first time I am seeing this, with these two teachers,” Whyte said.

She said they prepared her son and other students “very well” for the next stage of their education, “and I thank them both”.

“They work very well. They really care for the children, they are great teachers,” Whyte added.

The elated mother said that since the release of the PEP results, she has been enjoying a state of happiness to know that her child got the school of his choice.

“I spend a lot of money on this child, I stayed up very late at nights as well, so I needed good results, and he gave me. I am very proud,” the mother of three told JIS.

Another parent, Marsha Simpson, who is the mother of this year’s Top Student, Nastassia Robinson, said she, too, is pleased with the interest shown to students by the teachers.

Nastassia, who scored 376.4 or 94 per cent average in the PEP examinations and will be going to Immaculate Conception High School, was very sure of her placement, even before it was revealed by the Ministry of Education and Youth.

On the first day of sitting the exam, she told her mother that she “mash it up” and she should go ahead and buy the “Immaculate uniform”.

The well-spoken and confident 12-year-old, who is a thinking of becoming a lawyer or entrepreneur, says as a child from a single-parent home, “my mother tries her best to give me everything that I want, and I try my best to give her everything that I possibly can. I am trying to push forward, so that when I grow older, I can give her the best”.

She said her teachers “push students to the limit”, so that they can excel, and for the students who are returning to Brown’s Hall Primary, “they should work hard and achieve”.

Top boy Ihka said he did his best in the exams, as he did not want to annoy his mother, and he is just “glad” that he will be going to Kingston College.

He said he wants to achieve his dream of becoming a professional footballer, adding that good behaviour has taken him to where he is today, and his friends should stay on the side of discipline, and become shining examples at the school.

Vice-principal at the school, Stacy Nelson, said that she and her fellow educators have good reasons to be proud, because their students have performed well, and are placed at some of the best schools on the island, such as St Catherine High School, St Jago High School, and other notable institutions.

Nelson said the high performances were achieved despite Internet challenges.

“I am really proud of them. We had ups and downs, and now they know what is expected of them, and I know that they will go forth and make their marks in the society,” she says.

Several of the students were given trophies, and cash awards from a donation made to the school by a former principal, Derrick Warmington, who is also a past student.

The main objective of PEP is to enhance the academic and critical thinking capabilities, and creativity of students, by the end of primary-level education. It commences with a series of assessments at grade four, and end in grade six. The three main categories are performance task, ability test, and curriculum test.