– says he wrote 27 subjects in order to gain a scholarship to further his studies
It was not a stroll in the park for Region Two’s top Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) performer, and possibly top for the Caribbean, Romoll Baboolall. It entailed burning the midnight oil, attending several lessons, and mainly staying focused.
Hailing from Hampton Court Village on the Essequibo Coast in Region 2, the young man is the son of Anna Regina Secondary School teacher Chaitwattie Narain. He has one sibling, a sister, and his father died when he was two years old.
As a result, his mother worked endlessly, teaching him basic vocabulary and phonics at an early age, making him the only child at his nursery school who could have read the ‘Pat and Roy’ book series from cover to cover with great ease.
“As my time progressed at the elementary institution, my mom and teachers realised my love for education, and, as a result, I was encouraged to stay focused on my studies,” the young man told this publication in an interview.
In 2012, he was placed at C.V. Nunes Primary School, where he commenced his primary education. He was always a top performer in his class, with an average percentage ranging from 94 to 98. He proudly said, “with this, I was always excited to take home my report card.”
At his primary school, his love for co-curricular grew rapidly. These included debating competitions, and athletic sports and cultural events, among others.
In 2017, he wrote the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) with high expectations. In fact, he secured the top spot in the region, and came within the top one percent in the country. At the time, he was awarded a place at the prestigious Queen’s College, but opted to attend the Anna Regina Secondary School.
“Four years before I wrote the exam, CV Nunes Primary wasn’t on the map, and when I wrote the examination, I was the student who brought the school fame and glory. I continued to be consistent with my performance, gaining an average percentage in the 90s and positions between 1 and 2,” he explained.
This resulted in his being invited to the school’s prize-giving ceremony every year, since he would come in the top five. Even though he was a top performer, his commitment to his studies did not deter him from participating in any social and school activities.
As time progressed, he knew that preparing for CSEC would take a lot out of his time, and, more so, knew he had to scale back on certain social activities.
After intense discussions and debates with his mother, it was decided that he would be writing 27 subjects at the general proficiency level. This meant that he had to put his foot on the accelerator and get serious. There were lots of sacrifices he had to make, but without a doubt, they were worth it.
On Monday, September 12, 2022, his anxiety grew as he sat among his schoolmates and those from other schools across the country. They all congregated in the auditorium of the Anna Regina Multilateral School praying for the time when the announcement of the results would be made by Education Minister Priya Manickchand.
The announcement of the results declared that the disciplined and anxious young man had copped 24 grade ones and three grade twos. He was extremely ecstatic and overwhelmingly full of joy and excitement. It was then that it came home that he and his schoolmate shared the spot for the most grade one passes.
Baboolall recalled that while writing the examination, he was emotionally shaken following the tragic news of his grandfather’s passing. This did not make him lose focus, and with a broken heart, he managed to cope with the news and went full steam ahead.
“I am very happy and enthusiastic that I am the first student on the Essequibo Coast to write so many subjects and make my country proud, as well as my mom, who was working tirelessly with me… My mom is the person who made me who I am, without her I won’t have been here writing so many subjects and passing,” he has declared, and added that he always wanted to study at a well-known University out of Guyana, but because of finance, his mom and he set the aim to write as many subjects offered at CSEC so that he can receive a scholarship to study for his future career.
“Achieving the first position in the country has made me satisfied and overjoyed. My main aim was to make my mother proud, and I have certainly achieved that,” he added.
Now that he has completed his secondary education, he would now depart to further his study in the field of Biology to become a biochemist with the aim of excelling as well.
Following his success, many persons have congratulated him, including his proud mother, teachers, community leaders, schoolmates, and businessman Azruddin Mohamed.
Mohamed later met with the young man and rewarded him for his exemplary performance. The businessman also offered to offset his expense to further his studies in the event he does not get a scholarship from the Government of Guyana.
