Mothers proud of their children’s success amidst trials

“[I WON’T] lose faith in them. They have to make it. I am going to work with them, so they will become somebody,” said Anita Jaigobin. She is the mother of disabled twin boys who were successful at the recent National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA).

Anita’s sons, Tristian and Christian Bhagwadin are twins with cerebral palsy. The mother told the Pepperpot Magazine that it is difficult for her since the twins require special assistance with regard to learning. Because of their needs, she has to ensure that she finds the time to give them extra attention.

“But it was very good for them. You know what I did, I would have myself, my daughter who would render assistance, she would teach them Maths, that’s why I am so happy and grateful to God,” Anita, who is a single parent, said.

She noted that the boys are very willing children where learning is concerned and apart from their disability, they are very much like other children.

“I would be there for them to eat, when they are finished eating, I would make them pack their bags. I would clean them up until they learn to do these things by themselves. I would teach them. It is not easy for me as a single parent,” an emotional Anita explained.

She expressed that at one point in her life, she felt that it was difficult for her children to write the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), given their disability. There was always the question of whether they would pass or fail.

However, she remained confident in God and her children’s ability to pass their exam, but nevertheless, was sure that she would be content with whatever results they obtained.

Anita was overjoyed by her sons’ performance at the NGSA: Tristan obtained 370 marks, while Christian obtained 375 marks. The boys gained places at the Fort Wellington and Woodley Park Secondary Schools, respectively.

Kavita Singh is another parent who is elated over her daughter Shuanna’s performance at the NGSA despite her daughter’s disability. Shuanna obtained 408 marks and a place at the Mahaicony Secondary School.

“Apart from her being immobile, she is pretty much the same as any other child. When she was smaller, I would say she had a great childhood because she was easier to fetch around… But as she got older, that became a little harder for us,” Kavita said. “As a result of that, we have to sit down and plan when we want to go out, when we want to go on vacation as a family. Still, she is such a lucky child to be in a family where everyone adores her. As a result of her disability, space is provided as compared to the other children.”

She further explained that because of her locality, there aren’t many children in her class; nevertheless, she is a friendly person.

“Some of her friends would come home before the pandemic to study with her, but during the pandemic we tried to be socially distanced as possible because her condition makes her more vulnerable. But when her friends came over, she was always chatty and quite normal,” Singh told the Pepperpot Magazine.

Singh explained that as her daughter progressed through the various classroom levels, the family noticed that there the young girl began experiencing difficulties in executing simple tasks, such as holding her pen.

As Shuanna moved from one school to the next, she began to experience difficulties in her interaction with other students and teachers, since not everyone was accommodative of a child with a disability.

Due to the need for Shuanna to develop her writing skills, she remained in nursery school for a few extra years before she entered primary school at the Grade Three level.

However, the family said it was an uphill task getting teachers to understand that Shuanna could be just as the other students in her class.

“When she went into Grade Three, that was where there was this mentality where people treated her differently. We started being proactive and would pop in unexpectedly at school. One day we dropped in and stood outside of her classroom looking at what was happening,” Kavita recalled. “We saw all the other children had a reading book and were doing reading, but she was never given a reading book and, mind you, she is a fluent reader. We started asking her things, and she said that is how it is every day. We started becoming very worried.”

Both parents expressed that they want the Guyana Government to pay rapid attention to students who are facing physical challenges and ensure that there are adequate resources that can enable them to access quality education.

According to a Ministry of Education post, the Education Ministry will continue to assist where possible. Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Alfred King, is quoted as saying that the Minister of Education is passionate about ensuring that during the pandemic, learning loss is significantly reduced among all learners.