Three students scored 100% in this year’s Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA).The top performing nine students were yesterday rewarded for their achievements during a ceremony at the Education Ministry’s head office in Port of Spain.In attendance were Education Minister Dr Michael Dowlath; Ag permanent secretary Simone Williams; Ag permanent secretary Keshore Lutchman; Chief Education Officer Dr Peter Smith; and president of the National Parent-Teachers Association Walter Stewart.All awardees were announced by the ministry in alphabetical order to give their speeches and collect their awards.They were:Katherine Ajodha from St Peter’s Private SchoolAmara Batan from Curepe PresbyterianShivan Khan from Caroni HinduShazana Mohammed from Debe HinduAdam Ng Tang from Montrose GovernmentLiam Rajnauth from Trinidad Renaissance PreparatoryEthan Ramlackhansingh from San Fernando TMLDavid Ramlakhan from Montrose Government and;Vivek Supersad-Maharaj from Munroe Road Hindu.While the ministry did not disclose who was the top performer, Dowlath said that three students tied for first, scoring 100% in the assessment.He said the highest Composite Weighted Standard Score recorded (that is, the student’s overall score) in the 2026 Secondary Entrance Assessment was an outstanding 253.423 points.Shazana Mohammed, the fourth student to deliver her acceptance speech, said she attained full marks.After extending his congratulations to all 17,509 students who wrote the assessment this year, Dowlath said there was an improvement in SEA results when compared with last year.Speaking about the progress made in comparison with last year, the minister said the 2026 SEA reflected encouraging progress across multiple indicators of student achievement.“It demonstrates that our collective efforts to strengthen teaching and learning are beginning to bear fruit, and it signals what I believe is a meaningful return to excellence across our education system,” said the minister.Dowlath stated, “In Mathematics, the national mean score increased from 52.10 in 2025 to 53.84 in 2026. In English Language Arts, the national mean rose from 66.70 to 68.66. In English Language Arts — Writing, the national mean improved from 11.25 out of 20 to 11.57 out of 20.”According to the minister, there was also significant progress at key national performance benchmarks.“This year, 70.73% of students representing 12,384 children scored above the 50% benchmark. Last year, that figure stood at 66.18%, or 11,827 students.This means that 557 more students crossed this important threshold in 2026.”Equally encouraging was the growth at the highest levels of achievement.He said, “In 2026, 670 students scored above 90%, compared with 421 students in 2025. That represents an increase of 249 students performing at an exceptional academic standard.“These figures tell us something very important. More students are reaching higher levels of achievement, and more students are demonstrating that with the right support, academic success is within reach.”Top boys excelMeanwhile, NPTA president Walter Stewart said he felt “ecstatic” and proud as a parent who witnessed the accomplishment of the nine primary school students.“I’m also excited because six of those are boys and of course, we are all aware that there is this lethargy with regards to boys’ underachievement so that when I see boys excelling in this way, I’m doubly proud and doubly pleased,” he added.He said, “I want to especially thank the principals, our teachers, our educators who would have worked extremely hard to ensure that these results have shown gross improvement and we look forward to even greater results come 2027, 2028, 2029 more so that we are considering the Continuous Assessment Component.”He also underscored the resilience of the students who sat the examination this year, noting that they would have entered primary school on the cusp of the Covid19 pandemic and spent the first two years of primary schooling behind a device.“That speaks about resilience and perseverance and apart from their achievement, I really want to applaud their resilience and perseverance that gave us the kind of results we are seeing today.”