The Anthony Sukra way of excelling in education and sport

By Brandon Corlette

The key is not to prioritise what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities. Blairmont Community Centre Cricket Club player and former (New Amsterdam) Multi Royals Captain, Anthony Sukra has mastered this.
He is the best performing student across the Caribbean in the Technical Vocational area at the 2020 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams.
Sukra achieved this award on the back of 11 Grade Ones in 11 subjects. Speaking to <<<Guyana Times Sport>>>, Sukra said this accomplishment was no easy task.
“I successfully did so with the help of God who did what he does best, my parents who were always a constant source of support and encouragement, and the teachers of the New Amsterdam (Multilateral) Secondary School (NAMS), who played a role in my success since the inception to the day of the examinations.
“Credit must be given to the teachers of the Industrial Technology Department, who, despite of all the criticisms, stood with me and all the other students of the Industrial Technology class of 2020 to the end and ensured our success,” Sukra said.
The humble youngster, who is ranked number three in the Caribbean for CSEC Industrial Technology (Building) and number one in Guyana, said his family left him no room for error when it came to education and having a good life.
“Growing up, in my family, there was no margin for error as my parents always ensured that I achieved the best in order to have a better life than they did. Securing a sound education was the key to unlocking this way of life. As such, they provided a very strong foundation for me at a very tender age. With them being constant sources of encouragement, they motivated me to achieve nothing else but success,” he revealed.

After Sukra sat the National Grade Nine Examination in back in 2018, he made the decision to pursue studies for the remainder of his high-school years in the Industrial Technology stream. He noted that this decision came because of his curiosity on how machines work.
“I was always amazed by the way they made our work easier and it was always a desire of mine to be a part of this new era, where technology is changing the lives of many. Making this decision was an easy one, but it came with a lot of criticism from those around. I was constantly asked the question: Why are you so talented but choose to pursue studies in the technology stream. Why not science?”
Sukra came to the realisation that many people looked down upon his chosen area of study. He disclosed that this area required more than just being talented. “It takes hard work, commitment, and dedication to be successful in this area of study, since the syllabus is structured in such a way which required the same amount of work to be done in both the theory and practical areas.”

Outside academics
Sukra started playing ‘street cricket’ at the tender age of five. He then joined the Blairmont Community Centre Cricket Club at age 12, and remains a member to this day. “I can clearly remember when I was in First Form playing the popular ‘cafeteria cricket’ when Sir Tameshwar Mohabir saw me and asked why I never requested to join the school’s cricket team (Multi Royals). I was a member of the school’s cricket team for four years, two of which I was appointed captain,” Sukra shared.
The right-hander said balancing cricket and academics required a lot of commitment and more importantly, time management. “Whenever we had inter-school games to play, organised by the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB), and I had a test to write on the same day, I would go to school as early as 07:15h to complete the test/examination before going to play,” he revealed.
He expressed gratitude to the teachers of NAMS who were able to adjust and allow him the opportunity to excel in both areas.
“My participation in club cricket cannot go unmentioned. I had to sacrifice a few practice sessions in order to go to extra lessons and vice versa. After school I would go out to practice, come home after the session was over, complete School-Based Assessments and try to get a session of studying. This would carry me to early hours in the mornings and I still had to get up to go to school the same day (since it was already the next day) and complete practical as well as theoretical work.”
Leading up to CSEC 2020, the coronavirus became a pandemic and halted cricket and much of life in the country. Sukra looked on the positive aspect and said that was a win for him since it allowed him more time to fully prepare for the examinations. He also credited the President and Coach of the Blairmont Community Centre Cricket Club, Shabeer Baksh, who played the role of a mentor, both on and off the field of play. Sukra is aiming to pursue a career in engineering.

Sir Tameshwar on Sukra’s journey
Acting Industrial Technology (IT) Head of Department (HoD) at NAMS and Multi Royals Cricket Club Manager, Tameshwar Mohabir recognised greatness in Sukra since the inception.
“I knew he was special and an extremely gifted student, one who had what it takes to develop into the perfect all-round student. He just knew how to maintain the perfect balance between his school work and his academics and he progressed smoothly through his high school life. His passion for the field of engineering is what drove him to pursue studies within the Industrial Technology stream at the completion of Grade Nine.”
Known by many as Sir Tamesh, the hardworking manager and acting IT HoD, said Sukra has a highly-creative mind and a high level of reasoning, and he was also extremely gifted with his hands.
This, coupled with his excellent work ethic and high self-discipline, has enabled him to ace both the theoretical and practical aspects of the subjects in his course of study in Grades 10-11 and subsequently, at the CSEC 2020 examinations.
According to Sir Tamesh, Sukra has great leadership abilities and always took the lead during practical sessions and class activities. Besides cricket, where he was appointed Captain and enjoyed great success as a batting all-rounder, Sukra was a key member of the school’s athletics and basketball teams..
Overall, Sukra is a well-rounded and highly-gifted student, and he is the perfect example for student athletes out there who may feel that it is impossible to do both sports and academics well. Balancing and excelling in both is certainly possible and Anthony Sukra is testimony to that.