by Eulana Weekes
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN): On the island of Nevis, several male graduates at the Primary level returned top results, which were disclosed to the public during their recently held graduations.
Of the ten primary schools, seven schools revealed males as their top students in the 2022-2023 graduation season. The males include:
Tevon Wattley- Ivor Walters Primary School
Kiyan Blake- Elizabeth Pemberton Primary School,
Devondre Archibald- Joycelyn Liburd Primary School
Delijah Clarke- St. Thomas’ Primary School
Kimadre Nisbett- Violet. O Jeffers Nicholls Primary School
Abhijith Srinivasan- Montessori Academy
Dwije Morton- Nevis Academy
At the Special Education Unit, the Cecele Browne Integrated School, a male student, Unique Browne, was adjudged the top achiever.
Also returning top results were three females, Mahira Hanley of the Charlestown Primary School, Skaii Mills of the St. James’ Primary School and Tafara Brookes of the Maude Crosse Preparatory School.
WINN FM collected data from the Primary School graduations for 2020, 2021 and 2022, which showed that females were predominantly the top performers at their respective schools. For many years prior, the perception in the public domain was that boys often lagged behind girls in terms of academic achievement and representation.
On Friday, July 07, Troy Liburd, Junior Minister of Education in Nevis, shared his perspective on the recent development, noting that an equal platform was laid out for all students to excel.
“There’s an equal platform that is being provided for both [males] and [females] in education, and I look at students individually, and it’s up to each individual student to take advantage of the platform that is being offered. So, the fact that more of the Valedictorians are males, we could look at it from the perspective where we were saying that males weren’t doing that well, and we feel good about it, but there is nothing within the system that is causing the system towards males as opposed to females. It is an equal playing field, and whoever the Valedictorians come out to be, let [us] celebrate each and every one of them.”
WINN FM spoke to a few individuals to get their perception on why they believe so many boys returned top results at the Primary level in Nevis this year.
One individual said, “Over the last ten years, perhaps 20 years, when we look at the top of the educational system, you would find that it moves in favour of females. I believe that it boils down to socialisation. I think traditionally, more interest was put into the girls’ academic performances, while for the boys, once they learn skills, that’s okay cause they will be able to get a job easily. Now, probably, people are paying more attention to the boys because we see what is happening today. It’s hard to get a job without qualifications. So it creates a balance now where everybody has to take their education seriously in order to advance. I am very proud of those boys, though, and I wish them the best.”
A female said, “Really and truly, I think that mothers are protective of their sons and want the best for them, so they are really trying to encourage them; because, when you look at it, a lot of mothers are trying to send their son to extra classes and activities and so on, like football and cricket to make sure that they come out as well rounded people; and right now, if you don’t have a proper education and the papers and so on, you could hardly get anywhere in life.”
Another individual shared a slightly different view: “Girls mature faster than boys. Girls tend to settle down and be more focused than boys at an early age. A lot of girls take more pride in their education than boys. So to see those boys excel like that is a very good look, and it is a good way to encourage other boys that they can also be successful. That is something that is worth recognition, you know. When you have a lot of boys and a lot of girls excelling, it brings a balance and that will be very good for the country. I am proud of them.”
