Parental support: The key to success

Parental support seemed to have been one of the key players in the success of the outstanding students in this year’s Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) exams.

At the 37th CXC meeting top students were rewarded with a cheque and a plaque.

Speaking with the Searchlight Newspaper Pramesh Seheult, father of the most Outstanding Candidate Overall in the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), said that his son Jansen Seheult would have loved to have been present but was studying at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.{{more}}

On behalf of his son, Seheult accepted the first ever Dr Dennis Irvine CAPE award and said that his son’s hard work has paid off. He revealed that Jansen was always devoted towards becoming a doctor and said that because of his son’s commitment throughout school at Naparima College, in Trinidad and Tobago he had also earned the national award and a full scholarship that has eased the financial burden of medical school.

Seheult said that while his son was always self-motivated, he would ensure that he gave him additional encouragement and support. He stressed the importance of providing a healthy environment for studying, a home that was tranquil and loving and vitamins to strengthen him physically. The elated father also confessed that he would give his 18-year old son financial incentives to perform and said that Jansen was however disciplined enough to never splurge his money, but would instead purchase additional study texts to enhance his knowledge.

Benadette Singh, another parent, said that parental guidance was also a priority in her daughter Shirvanie Persaud capturing the overall performer in Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate, CSEC.

Singh admitted that as a single mother she would always tell Shirvanie and her younger brother that she “had nothing else to offer them but an education.” Singh said that she would encourage her daughter to reach for her goal of pursuing medicine, because Shirvanie would always express her desire to do so. The mother expressed joy that Shirvanie now has a scholarship which does not place economic constraints on her and urged other parents to never give up on their children.

Singh said that to become a doctor was a noble profession and her daughter would be realizing her dream.

Shirvanie’s mother explained, “It’s the greatest satisfaction a parent could have, to see their child truly happy and pursuing what they wish to become.”