The Regional Director for Cambridge International Education, Juan Visser, said the learners took a similar exam with their counterparts across the world and emerged best in the global examination.
Two students of Chrisland School in Lagos- 18-year-old Oluwabukolami Adeyemi, and 17-year-old Mmesomachukwu Okwonkwo, who recently ranked best in the world in Cambridge examinations, have credited their excellent performance to God and the inputs of their teachers and guardians at the school.
While Miss Adeyemi ranked best in the Cambridge International AS-Level Law Examination, Miss Okwonkwo came top in the English International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGSCE) as a Second Language.
The students who are aspiring to study Law and Business Management in universities, described their experiences sitting the examinations as wonderful.
Studying law, my life ambition- Adeyemi
Miss Adeyemi, who hails from Ega in Kogi State, said she attended the Chrisland school right from age 1 at Chrisland School, Oluwole, in Lagos, and enrolled at Chrisland Predegree College in preparation for her university admission abroad.
She said it was also surprising for her to receive recognition from the British Council and Cambridge International Assessment Education "for having the highest mark in the world in Cambridge International AS level Law, and recording High Achievement Award in Cambridge International AS Level Psychology.
Speaking on her ambition in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, Miss Adeyemi said she had always loved things that have to do with "civil and economic justice."
"So I expect to give back to society, and as a lawyer, I will want to carry out pro-bono schemes. And I think that is a good ground for politics. So, by the grace of God, I want to hold leadership positions in Nigeria and give back to the society that has helped bring me up," Miss Adeyemi said.
She thanked the school management for investing time, energy, and "the winning spirit" in them, saying the school principal, who she described simply as Mrs Agomoh, would always give detailed assessments of each student "right on the assembly ground."
"Academically, I would say the lecturers were intentional about everybody's individual journey. So when I sat in class I never felt like a teacher was teaching in class, I felt that my teacher was teaching me. The academic experience was very intentional...," she said.
Miss Okwonkwo speaks
On her part, Miss Okwonkwo said she has always loved business and would be willing to study Business Management at the university.
She said that, ahead of her resumption abroad, she hopes to have an internship opportunity and learn a few skills.
She said: "I prefer Business Management because it is something I am passionate about and I felt I could do it very well. I started a small business when I was in 7 years old it was something I loved doing. I also feel that business management is very versatile. So in a world where artificial intelligence is emerging more and more, you want to take a course that is versatile and you can move around with it."
Miss Okwonkwo who sat Mathematics, Business Studies, ICT, Economics, and Biology, said apart from coming top in English, she had excellent results in other subjects.
Speaking on her preparation for the exam, Miss Okwonkwo, who hails from Anambra State, said the school engaged them in thorough activities, including constant tests from past questions on the Cambridge website.
She said; "Our teachers would make us pick a few topics on essay writing and group us into teams. Within those teams, they would teach other classmates other subjects. I think that was what really helped.
"I would treat the past questions one by one until I covered most of them. That way I was able to get familiar with the pattern of the examination which made me very comfortable during the examination,"
Honour
In celebration of the feat, both Miss Adeyemi and Miss Okwonkwo were part of more than 60 young Nigerians who were recently recognised and celebrated by the British Council in Lagos for their excellent performance in both the June and November 2022 diets of the examinations.
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The British Council presented the students with the British Council Recognition and Outstanding Cambridge Learner Award (BROCLA) at a ceremony held in Lagos.
In 2022, Nigerian students from 8 schools received the BROCLA award for obtaining the highest marks in the world, in different subjects.
Speaking at this year's event, the Regional Director for Cambridge International Education, Juan Visser, said the learners took similar examinations with their counterparts across the world and emerged best in the global test.
"The Cambridge exams set in Nigeria are the same as those taken in the UAE, Singapore, England, France, and South Africa. So, it's an identical exam taken under strict exam conditions. It means these learners are competing on an equal playing field with other learners globally and they've done fantastically well," he said.
Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe
