Latest update January 24th, 2025 6:10 AM
Latest News
- VP Jagdeo exposed on Gas-to-Energy project
- $350B in loans to fund 2025 budget-Jagdeo
- Judge blocks Trump’s ‘blatantly unconstitutional’ executive order that aims to end birthright citizenship
- UK Company installs monitoring system on four drill rigs in Guyana
- Former K/NEWS sports journalist loses home in Kitty fire
Crane Primary School girl on her way to QC
…had fled Venezuela with parents three years ago
Kaieteur News – Emily Vaamonde – Beria copped 515 marks at this year’s National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) emerging as the top student at the Crane Primary School located on the West Coast of Demerara (WCD).
Minister of Education Priya Manickchand alongside Crane Primary School top NGSA student, Emily Vaamonde-Beria.
She earned a place at Queens’ College which she has always wanted to attend, the Ministry of Education said in a release. The 12-year-old said she expected to do well but not to be at the top of her batch. “I feel very happy that I could’ve done so well. It was my expectation, but I did not expect to do so well,” Emily said after learning of her results in October.
“We are very proud and happy. We know we would have done good because we always give her the support and encourage her to work very hard in her education,” her father Brayan Vaamonde said.
Emily is Venezuelan by birth; she was placed at the Crane Primary School in 2018 when she emigrated to Guyana with her parents and younger sibling. At the time, she was eight years old and her only exposure to the English language came from her Guyanese parents while living in the Spanish-speaking country.
At first, she said “It was a bit hard with the language barrier and to understand some of the subjects,” but Emily quickly learned the English words she did not understand and became a translator for other migrant students at her school.
In fact, her head teacher, Ms. Vashti Paul noted that Emily is often called upon by teachers to communicate with other Venezuelan students. “She was always happy to do so,” Ms. Paul said. She further praised the young scholar as being an example of an excellent pupil. “She excels at everything she embarks upon intentionally or unintentionally. She is self-confident and self-motivated. She is a well-rounded pupil, involved in academic as well as co-curricular activities. Throughout her years at the Crane Primary School, she has always been the pupil that achieves the highest percentage in her class,” the teacher added.
The 12-year-old has since obtained her Guyanese citizenship but is working to become a lawyer to assist other migrants relocating to Guyana. “I would like to be a lawyer to help people like me, fight for their freedom and justice; some are awaiting their citizenship while some are waiting to get into schools,” she noted.
To help students like Emily, the Ministry of Education in June 2021 established its Risk Management and Migrant Support Section (RM&MSS).
The Unit is responsible for placing, monitoring, and supporting children in crisis-stricken communities, along with the integration of migrant children into the Guyanese society. The Unit collaborates with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the Ministries of Human Services and Social Security, Health, and other stakeholders. The RM&MSS aims to ensure equitable access to education and ensure that children affected by crises can access a safe and productive learning environment. Coordinator of the RM&MSS, Rampattie Prashad-Bisnauth noted that the Department of Education, Region Three assisted several students with the translation of documents through the Catholic Church while visits were made to Regions 1, 3, 4 and 7 to assess the problems migrant children are encountering with regards to access to education.
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
Berbice and Jagdeo’s legacy
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News-By any reckoning, Region 6 should have been Guyana’s most prosperous region. It has a... more
OAS Secretary General Election and renewed OAS Consensus
Antiguan Barbudan Ambassador to the United States, Sir Ronald Sanders By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- The upcoming election... more
Weekend Cartoon
