…visually-impaired Linden student excels at Grade Six
Visually-impaired 12-year-old Lindener Dimitry Waldron has managed to secure 495 of a maximum 529 marks at this year’s National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) examinations.
Waldron, of Wismar Hill Primary School at Wismar, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), has secured a spot at a top high school in the community, the Mackenzie High School and has even been officially offered a place at one of the country’s top schools, President’s College.
Waldron, who has congenital toxoplasmosis, is yet to decide upon which career he would pursue in the Disciplined Service, but he has narrowed the possibilities to a soldier or policeman. He is among the top 10 students at Wismar Hill Primary School.
The genetic disease, which has partially affected his vision, is caused by a protozoan parasite, toxoplasma gondii, which is transmitted from mother to foetus causing visual, hearing, motor, cognitive and other difficulties with the child.
Waldron has siblings who are also affected by the said condition. His mother, Ronella Jervis, told this publication that her son, who wears glasses, was able to write his examinations without the help of a reader or writer, which is usually assigned to visually-impaired students.
For Waldron, being offered a place at President’s College is nothing but a dream come true, since he has always wanted to attend one of the top Grade A schools in Guyana.
However, Jervis said the family was still deciding whether or not to send him so many miles away to attend school given his condition.
The elated student told Guyana Times International that he was proud of himself and his achievement, although he noted that Social Studies Paper 2 was a bit difficult and presented a bit of a challenge.
Success is no stranger to Waldron, since he was also among the top 10 students of his school at the National Grade Four Assessment two years ago.
“I feel really happy. I feel he could have done a bit more, but I am still proud of him. We are really happy,” his ecstatic mother told this publication.
She said it was a challenge preparing for the exams, but with the assistance of his cousin, father, teachers, brothers and herself, he was able to do revision exercises.
The mother explained that her son was also assisted in preparing for the examinations by teachers of the Blind Unit within the Wismar Hill Primary School.
Her sons, despite being affected with the conditions are excellent achievers, as Jervis, a mother of seven, is a firm believer that education is a must.
Both her 16- and 14-year-old sons were also awarded places at the Mackenzie High school, after writing the NGSA.
She said while her second son, who attended the Blind Society Unit at the Wismar Hill Primary in Linden, received the necessary assistance with writing his entry exams, life at high school has been difficult for both boys.
“You show people you got the ability and you could do much better” is something Jervis said she always tells her children. (Utamu Belle)
