Wakenaam boy emerges Caribbean’s top business student

Have you ever heard of the Essequibo Islands Secondary School? If you haven’t, it’s located in the village of Sans Souci on the island of Wakenaam. And this year, that school has produced the Caribbean’s top business student: 17-year-old Naresh Jagnanan.

At the 2021 sitting of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination, Jagnanan wrote 11 subjects. When the results of those examinations were released last year, he scored all 11 Grade One passes.

In January, however, the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) released their official report on the examinations. And, Jagnanan was one of the nine Guyanese students who scored regional awards.

What is important to note as well, is that Jagnanan is the only student from the set who attended a school outside of Georgetown.

“It is not relatively common to see a student from Wakenaam (receiving) a regional award.

“So that is why I am immensely ecstatic and elated to receive this regional award and represent not just my school and my island but my country,” Jagnanan told the News Room during a virtual interview on Thursday.

Initially, the news of his success came as a tremendous surprise to him. Later, in retrospect, he realised that topping the region was not an impossible feat. In fact, he explained that business studies have always been a passion – with him aiming for full marks each term.

This is not the first time that the young man has performed outstanding, though.

In 2016, he was the island’s top student at the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA). Instead of attending the Anna Regina Secondary School, however, he decided to stay on the island and attend the Essequibo Islands Secondary school.

Now, it is his goal to contribute to Guyana’s overall development through accounting and finance. It is for this reason that he is continuing his studies in these areas, first at the diploma level and then Bachelor’s degree level at the University of Guyana (UG).