Dear Editor,
In reference to your local news item ‘SVN student tops CAPE’ (SN Aug 23) for 2017, Vamanadev Upendra Hiralall’s stupendous achievement is worthy of the highest commendation and praise. It is a record of sorts in the regional examination for a Guyanese and a Caribbean student and credit goes to the school, SVN, that has been described as a model by President Granger earlier this year at a commencement ceremony. The SVN and its staff and principal Swami Aksharananda-ji deserve kudos for imparting the discipline and training that enables students like Vamanadev to attain their record educational success.
CAPE, the equivalent of Advanced Level at Oxford or Cambridge or London Universities, is a two-year course for each subject. In the Caribbean, each subject, with the exception of Caribbean Studies and Communication Studies, has two units. Over the two years Vamanadev studied for 9 subjects: Biology, Caribbean Studies, Communication Studies, Computer Science, Environmental Science, Information Technology, Physics, and Pure Mathematics for an equivalent of 16 units (subjects) – a record achievement for a CAPE student or any Advanced Level student in the history of such exams.
In all, Vamanadev scored 13 grade ones, with 12 distinctions, and 3 grade twos, according to which, as your paper notes, he has been placed number one in Guyana. He is also rated so far as number one in the Caribbean.
It has been noted that Vamanadev’s performance has superseded every other performance in the history of CAPE in Guyana and the Caribbean. Congrats to Vamanadev and his family and the school where he obtained his educational training on this record achievement.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
