Recognition of excellent performance motivated Essequibo Coast top student

…as Region 2 girls shine at CSEC

By Raywattie Deonarine

Preparing for a big examination can sometimes be nerve-wracking, particularly if it is one that may determine your successive move towards a prosperous adulthood.
Duvina Seurattan had to tuck that nervousness away as she entered the examination room last year to sit the 2021 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations, where she managed to secure passed in 21 subjects – copping the top performer spot in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) and the second position amongst the country’s top 10.
Born in 2003, Seurattan called “Cassie” hails from Cullen, Essequibo Coast, and is the youngest in her family of four which includes her mother, Kumarie Seurattan – a teacher at the Abram Zuil Secondary School. Her father, Gobin Seurattan, is a sales agronomist and her brother is currently pursuing his studies at the Humber College in Canada.
During the years 2006-2009, a foundation was laid for young Duvina at the Carmel Learning Centre after which she attended the Fisher Primary School at Golden Fleece during the years 2009-2015.
“Despite the numerous thoughts of attending other primary schools, my parents had their decision set to send me to Fisher Primary School so… I went along with their decision. And, with the guidance and support from my parents and teachers, I was able to cop the first position in my classes,” she explained during an interview with <<<Guyana Times>>>.
The now 17-year-old recalled that she managed to maintain the first position in class, shining throughout her years at the primary school. This performance was reflected when Duvina sat the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) and was awarded a spot at Guyana’s top secondary school, Queens College in Georgetown – a proud feat as she was named the Region’s top performer at the 2015 NGSA having obtained 522 marks.
However, the parents of the then 12-year-old girl opted for her to attend the Anna Regina Secondary School on the Essequibo Coast instead. According to the young woman, during her secondary years, she did not only immerse herself in her academics but also anxiously participated in many extra-curriculum activities in school including athletic sports and debating competitions. She was also a member of the social cohesion club.
“The love for this institution [school] grew more and more since the teachers of the school recognised our contribution as students. Each year, I was invited to ARMS prize-giving exercise where I received several achievement awards for being the best performer in different subject areas.”
Her performance was consistent and this was shown in 2018, when Duvina sat the National Grade Nine Assessment, where she successfully named top performer, once again, at not just her school but the region as well.
However, the journey thereafter was not such a smooth ride.
“Fifth form was quickly approaching; the thought of the class sometimes caused me to shiver… But it was time to buckle up so I decided to accept the challenges wholeheartedly. I aimed for the stars so I set my foot forward and got more serious than before.”
With that commitment and dedication to work – and her intelligence, of course – coupled with the guidance of her teachers, Duvina completed her School-Based Assessments (SBA) in a timely manner.
But with her nerves already reaching extreme heights leading up to the 2020 May-June examinations, Guyana and the rest of the world were caught in the midst of a global pandemic – the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Without a doubt, Seurattan was stressed out and concerned. She was even a bit sceptical to sit the examination since, for the first time ever, Paper 1 and the SBA components were used to determine the final grade.
Adding to the anxieties, students were forced to sit major examinations as the pandemic was starting to spread in Guyana and was already ravaging countries around the world. Despite these challenges, however, a nervous Duvina headed to the examination room all masked up and equipped with her sanitiser, to sit all 21 of her CSEC subjects.
When the results were finally released almost a year later on Friday last, the 17-year-old was able to breathe a sigh of relief as she obtained 19 Grade Ones and 2 Grade Twos and was named the valedictorian of her school.
“I felt elated and overjoyed because my prime objective was to make myself, my parents, and also my school proud and I’ve certainly attained that. Now that I would have finished my secondary education, it is my fervent wish to further my studies at an overseas university… I would like to follow along the path of engineering especially chemical or petroleum engineering because I have a deep love for chemistry and also there is endless opportunity for me to progress my career as an engineer,” an elated Duvina related.
However, Duvina is sharing the limelight with two other Essequibo Coast girls who also managed to secure spots amongst the country’s top 10 2020 CSEC performers.
Swasti Saytoo, also of Anna Regina Multilateral Secondary School, copped the third highest performance in the country with 21 passes, while Abram Zuil Secondary School’s Tabitha Alves copped the country’s 10th spot with 20 subjects.
Swasti Saytoo attained 18 Grade Ones and 3 Grade Twos. The jubilant Zorg, Essequibo Coast resident said, “I’m excited, overjoyed at my performance although I had to wait one year for [the results]. I will also be seeking scholarship to go overseas to study Civil Engineering.”
According to Swasti’s overjoyed mother, Malini Lall, her daughter had spent long hours studying in order to excel at her studies.
However, for Tabita Alves, her achievement of 16 Grade Ones and 4 Grade Twos came as a surprise. The Queenstown Village, Essequibo Coast girl is nonetheless thrilled and related how grateful she is to God for seeing her through a tough time.
“The journey wasn’t easy cause my mom fell ill like two months before I had to write my exam so I was really frustrated but I’m overwhelmed with tears of gladness and I’m thrilled that I made it… It’s indeed a wonderful feeling. My parents are as proud as I am because even though they didn’t have to write the exam they were with me every step of this journey. They gave me all that they can give and rallied around me and made sure I had all that I needed. My family members were my biggest supporters,” Tabitha said to reporters.
The teenager is currently invested in a small business named “T.A Personalised and Virtual Design”.