Ridgeway delivers one of country’s top students

With an academic year thrown into disarray by Covid-19 and the closing of schools for months, everybody knew that the matrics of 2020 would have a herculean task on their hands trying to achieve academic excellence in the year-end exams.

“We could not be prouder of Ayesha Chhaya, our Dux and top candidate in the IEB examinations, and of Rizka Aboobaker, who was placed second in the grade,” said Mrs Dionne Redfern, executive principal of Ridgeway College.

Both girls achieved a full house of A symbols, with aggregates of 93% and 90% respectively. In addition, Ayesha was placed in the top 1% of candidates nationwide for accounting, life science and physical science, following the 2020 year-end exam. She was also placed on the IEB Outstanding Achievements List for achieving within the top 5% of candidates in six or more subjects, with a rating level of 7 for life orientation. “This is an exceptional achievement. She is one of 82 candidates out of more than 13 000 who wrote the IEB examinations to attain this accolade,” said Redfern.

Redfern said that Ayesha had always been a driven and motivated person, and this had spilled over into her work. “She has a deep love for learning and has always pushed herself, going the extra mile not only with her work but with all she does, be it community engagement or running a race for her school. She has chosen a competitive field of study to get into, and I am sure she will succeed. She used the lockdown to her advantage and used the extra time to hone her skills and study further. This work ethic and positive attitude are typical of her. She is a credit to her school and to her family,” said Redfern. Ayesha’s subjects were accounting, Afrikaans First Additional Language, English Home Language, life orientation, life sciences, mathematics, and physical sciences. She wants to study medicine at the University of Witwatersrand.

Rizka achieved in the top 1% of candidates for life orientation and life sciences - also exceptional results from a dedicated and committed academic. Her subjects were accounting, Afrikaans First Additional Language, English Home Language, life orientation, life sciences, mathematics and physical sciences. She will be studying business science, specialising in actuarial science, at UCT.

The college’s other Top 10 candidates in rank order were Ndoswika Lusunzi, Isaac Masindi, Nompumelelo Mabhena, Pratham Patel, Kashvir Shah, Amber Smit, Mixo Nkwinika, and Tafadzwa Nhundu.

News - Date: 25 February 2021

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