Dear Editor,
Reading about the successes of our children at the CSEC and CAPE examinations this year, I, as I am sure many other Guyanese, swelled up more than a little bit with pride over their accomplishments. Reflecting on this, I thought I should share my two little bits of advice to parents of children in school.
Parents need to examine means of having their children perform well. The successes of our high achievers were not an accident or something they accomplished by themselves. Their minds were moulded to achieving such performances.
First, and most neglected, is emphasis on preparing primary school children for the National Grade Six exams. Evidently only top performers typically get the best schools, and many of the parents of those children who did not get the best schools will tell you they left this task to primary school teachers. This is a solution for disaster. Parents simply must, and have to get involved in their children’s education from play school, ensuring that their children are learning ‘something’ at the end of the day. This kind of attention needs to be paid through to fifth, and sixth form. Unfortunately some turn away from their children in sixth form, assuming that their children ‘have learnt to succeed’. This is furthest from reality. Parents of these children need to step back into the game.
Finally, children need to be nurtured with the interest, ambition and desire to succeed by connecting their success to both the higher call of service to society and the financial and social successes they would achieve as adults.
This, in a nutshell, will make a big difference.
Yours faithfully,
Craig Sylvester
