DANIEL Roopchand, a Queen’s College student, is among the top performers at this year’s Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE), having secured 10 Grade Ones and one Grade Two.

Other top performers include Queen’s College’s Samuel Haynes with nine Grade Ones; St. Stanislaus College’s Abdul Subhan, who secured eight Grade Ones, and last year’s top Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) performer, Bhedesh Persaud, who secured eight Grade Ones and one Grade Two.

Education Minister, Priya Manickchand announced this year’s results at the National Centre of Educational Resources Development (NCERD) on Friday.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle shortly after the announcement, 18-year-old Roopchand, who hails from suburban Kitty, disclosed that despite the many challenges that were brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a determined spirit and disciplined attitude, he was able to emerge successful.

Speaking about his preparations, the teen said, “It was like a double-edge sword, because, on the one end, it was a bit stressful with me being at home; there were a lot of distractions and domestic responsibilities.”

On the other hand, he said, “We were home. I had a stable Internet connection, and I had a huge library of information.”
Roopchand, who has a passion for mathematics and the sciences, told this publication that his goal is to acquire a presidential scholarship to offset the cost of pursuing a higher education.

He explained that his younger sibling is ill, and his parents are currently working to pay off medical expenses, which, he said, was one of his biggest motivators to achieving the goal he set himself.

He hopes to pursue a career in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), or something along the lines of engineering.

Haynes, in his comments to this publication, recalled that preparing for this year’s CAPE examination was no walk in the park, but he was determined to not let the stresses that were brought on by the pandemic deter him from the goals he was hoping to achieve.

The young Buxtonian stated that with the support of his parents, family, friends and religious leaders, he was able to remain focused and grounded throughout his studies.

“At CAPE, I took upon myself to put in a little extra and really focus on my preparation. There were long nights of studying, but I had an excellent support system,” Haynes said, adding: “My parents would help me; my teachers, my lesson teachers, persons from my church would pray for me, so I had a pretty good base.”

Haynes disclosed that he hopes to pursue a career in orthodontics, and will soon commence studies, which will lead him to the career path he has chosen for himself.

Meanwhile, Subhan, who also emerged as one of the country’s top performers, noted that preparing for his examinations was not an easy task. However, like his fellow students, he refused to let the challenges get the best of him.

“For me, it was taxing, since I would have been doing some subjects [for] which resources weren’t available; so, much studying had to be Online.”
Sharing some advice with students who are currently studying for CAPE, the 19-year-old said, “One should have a balance between extracurricular activities and academics, because it would help you to be a more rounded individual, and help you to understand all the concepts and so forth.”

The Guyana Chronicle also spoke with Persaud, who has managed to perform excellently two years in a row.
The all-round achiever noted that preparing for CAPE was a lot different compared to CSEC. He said he was able to quickly adjust to the more rigorous content, which saw him studying for longer periods.

“The preparation process, for me, was more rigorous than CSEC was. We had to put in more hours of studying, and CAPE calls for critical thinking, so I was more detail oriented when it came to CAPE,” he said.

Persaud said he is not yet finished with his academics, as he is currently preparing for his second year of CAPE. The 18-year-old told this publication that he intends to challenge himself even more.

Other top performers at this year’s CAPE examinations are Queen’s College’s Jorrel DeSantos, who secured eight Grade Ones; St. Rose’s High’s Alex Abraham, who secured seven Grade Ones and three Grade Twos; and Queen’s College’s Yu Qing Zhou and Alicialall Harilall, who both secured eight Grade Ones.

For this year’s CAPE Unit One, Atishta Seenarine of the Saraswati Vidya Nakitan, a private school located in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), secured nine Grade Ones, while fellow student Shivnarine Chaitram secured seven Grade Ones, one Grade Two, and one Grade Three. There’s also Queen’s College’s Tatayana Pearson, who secured six Grade Ones and one Grade Two.