KINGSTON, Jamaica – Sixty-three wards of the state were rewarded for excellent performance in the 2022/2023 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC)/Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) at the Child Protection and Family Services Agency’s (CPFSA) annual Educational Achievement Awards on Thursday.

With eight CSEC subjects, including six distinctions and two credits, Jehvoun Byfield was named the overall Top Boy while the Top Girl was Nyomi Smith, who also earned eight subjects with three distinctions, four credits, and one pass.

They were also the most outstanding students for the CPFSA’s South East region.

Christina Williams and Rianna Bryan were named the top awardees for CAPE.

Speaking at the awards ceremony held at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St Andrew, state minister in the ministry, Marsha Smith commended all the award recipients for their commitment to pursuing academic excellence.

“The resilience that you have shown is encouragement and inspiration to your peers and to us generally as a people. When I hear your stories and what you have been through and what you have done, I am inspired. Your achievements are the achievements of a nation because you have made us all proud,” she said.

For her part, Chief Executive Officer of the CPFSA, Laurette Adams-Thomas said the agency is proud of the remarkable accomplishments of the young scholars who have demonstrated exceptional dedication, perseverance and academic excellence.

She noted that since 2011, the awards ceremony has been a beacon of inspiration, highlighting the tremendous achievements of youth under the care of the State in residential childcare facilities, foster care, family reintegration, and those on supervision order.

“Today, as we honour the outstanding achievements of these 63 young individuals who have excelled in the CSEC and CAPE examinations we reaffirm our commitment to nurturing and empowering every child within our reach,” she said.

The annual awards ceremony recognises wards across the CPFSA’s four regions – Western, Southern, North East and South East – who achieved passes in four or more subjects in the external exams in the previous year.

Eight of the 63 awardees received special recognition as regional Top Boy and Top Girl based on the number of passes and quality of grades.

-JIS