‘CAPE is your next best investment after CSEC’ – 2022 top student says

Atishta Seenarine, the most outstanding student at the 2022 Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) is encouraging students to make CAPE their next choice after completing their Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination.

Now a University of Guyana (UG) student, she made the call on Friday as she was honoured by the Saraswati Vidya Niketan for her accomplishment during a simple ceremony that was held in the school’s Main Hall at Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara.

The school also celebrated being named the 2022 CAPE School of the Year.

“I would encourage you to make CAPE your choice after completing your CSEC journey especially if you are pursuing a career in STEM,” Seenarine told the gathering, which includes mostly students of her alma mater.

“I say this because university life is not an easy one but from personal experience, CAPE serves to minimize your gap and so it’s your next best investment after CSEC,” she added.

In fact, she described the successful completion of the CAPE examinations as the beginning of new goals and aspirations.

“The journey does not end here rather it is just the beginning. The beginning of setting and working towards new goals and new aspirations. These new goals and aspirations will require efforts from both the school and students,” Seenarine said.

Also present at the ceremony was Minister of Education Priya Manickchand who disclosed that in order to ensure a larger number of students perform well the ministry has entered in talks with the Saraswati Vidya Niketan school to discuss ways in which they can be a replica in the public school system.

“Even if only as an example that once the metrics line up. Good leadership, attentive students, parents who are engaged, involved or at least interested and allowing the school to engaged and involved at will, and teachers who are satisfied. When those line up how success is guaranteed,” Manickchand said.

The education minister said she is hopeful that the process can begin before the end of September at one of the public schools on the West Coast of Demerara.

“All in the interest of ensuring larger numbers of children do well. Our interest is to make sure every single child, African or Indian or Amerindian or poor or rich, male or female whether from the interior or the coastland, wherever you are, whatever circumstances you have emerged from, that every child is prepared to participate meaningfully and benefit from the Guyana that is unfolding before us,” she stated.

Seenarine, who gained 18 Grade Ones, was named the Caribbean’s most outstanding CAPE student in December 2022.