At just 12 years old Pavita Ramkissoon, was ahead of her age group, sitting three CXC subjects privately and completing high school years later at just age 15.

Today, Pavita is the Director of Internal Audit at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and wants young Guyanese to know that they too can accomplish great things should they set their minds to it.

However, before she could tell her own story of how she came to love accounting, she told of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ramkissoon, and how their lives helped to influence who she is today.

As a child, Pavita recalled sitting in classes being taught by her mother, an accounts teacher who taught students preparing for the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) and Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.

At just about seven years old, as Pavita awaited her mother after primary school, she would take it upon herself to draw lines for accounting ledgers even though nothing much made sense at the time.

She later told the Pepperpot Magazine that it was just the fondness of ruling up ledgers that drew her closer to the accounting field.

“I wasn’t being taught but I was always with her when she was in class. So after primary school, I would go there and she would have classes and extra classes for students. So I was there with her most of the time,” she explained.

Added to this, Pavita’s late father was a well-known land surveyor, author of the book ‘Mathematics for You’ and principal of Shivita’s Business College, a school named by her dad after herself and brother, Dr. Shivasram Itwaru.

Even with her parents both possessing careers in business, Pavita said: “They did not sit with me and say ‘you have to be in the business stream’ but because of the environment, I was influenced.”

At age 12, not long after she completed Common Entrance exams at Cane Grove Primary, Pavita joined the Shivita’s Business College where she passed all three of the CXC subjects written with a Grade One in Principle of Business.

“It was challenging but I wasn’t being pressured in any way that I had to study. As much as it was challenging, I had the self-discipline to pick up my books but I also did ordinary things that I think every student did at the age. I was still playing hide-and-seek, I was watching television, so it wasn’t very pressuring for me,” said the now 34-year old.

By 15-years old, after graduating from high school gaining passes at both the CXC and General Certificate of Education (GCE), Pavita then completed her LCCI Levels 1-3 which gained her passes with numerous distinctions in the various business subjects.

SUDDEN SETBACK
For her next mission, she had set her mind on studying for the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) but this is when she encountered the disappointing setback that she did not meet the age requirement at the time.

“I was disappointed because I’d always wanted to go study for the ACCA in England because other students in my parent’s school did that,” she explained.

Looking back on the delay, Pavita said that she doesn’t believe that age should determine how fast a child moves ahead academically.

“I think it’s up to students and their potential. Everybody has their individual potential and I don’t think that age should, at all, be a factor,” she said.

However, despite the hindrance, Pavita did not sit idly by but proceeded to take a Diploma in Accounting at the University of Guyana (UG) and by the time she was completed, was accepted to study in the United Kingdom.

NEW WORLD
But being a young girl who grew up in the countryside village of Cane Grove on the East Coast Demerara, it took some time for the teen to adjust to the new, big city.

“I got lost a few times during my first week but I quickly learned to use the public transportation, use the maps and I got around pretty okay,” she recollected.

Battling flu symptoms for a month during exams due to the change in climate conditions, Pavita nonetheless completed the process of preparing for the exams in three months, two months earlier than many others.

She later pursued an MBA in Financial Management and today, apart from her position at the GPHC, Pavita sits on the board of Caribbean Containers Incorporated (CCI) as a non-Executive Director.

In her message for young Guyanese, especially girls, Pavita said: “The sky is the limit and to reach there always remember that determination and hard work are the keys to success. Focus on education, uphold moral values, respect yourself as women at all times and be independent.”

With her father’s dream in mind, her own experiences and Guyana’s emerging petroleum sector, Pavita sees the need for an educated population and, as such, intends to open a school geared towards accounting and auditing disciplines.

She hopes to not only groom young minds but to clear the way for local content opportunities through strategic programmes one of which will involve business and accounting courses for students who missed out CSEC.

“Nothing is impossible. Once you’re focused and once you’re determined to do something, you can get there,” she said, adding: “For those who don’t have supportive parents, the sky is still the limit, follow your dreams and make yourself proud.”