CPFSA honours CSEC’s top performing boy

Ward of the State, Jehvoun Byfield, has been honoured for being the Top Performing Boy in the 2023 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination, by the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA).

The Kingston College (KC) lower sixth-form student attained nine subjects in the CSEC sitting, copping seven distinctions in Add Maths, CSEC Maths, Physics, Information Technology, Principles of Accounts, Principles of Business, English A, and two credits in Spanish and Social Studies.

He is currently sitting five subjects in the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exam (CAPE), unit one. These are Spanish, Accounts, Computer Science, Pure Mathematics and Communication Studies.

Byfield, who is from the CPFSA's Southeast Region in Kingston and St Andrew, aspires to have a career in Actuarial Science in the future.

“I have always liked numbers and I like to find an easier way to do stuff. That kind of motivated me to get into Actuarial Science or pursue Maths and Science. Based on my skill set, the main place where I can see myself is in Actuarial Science,” he said, noting that while his career choice is mainly aligned to his areas of interest, he also has an interest in politics.

An avid lacrosse player, Byfield, who is a member of the KC Lacrosse team, is seeking to qualify for a sports scholarship at an overseas university where he can combine his passion for the sport and continue his academic studies.

“I would like to pursue that sport at the collegiate level. That will most likely be overseas. I would like to go overseas and study Actuarial Science while I am doing lacrosse. If that is not possible, then I will stay in my country and attend the University of the West Indies (UWI),” he said.

Byfield is forging ahead with his academic pursuits and is applying to sit the Suite of Assessments (SATs) in August this year to boost his chances for scholarships to pursue his studies overseas.

He noted that the CPFSA's support has been invaluable in charting his academic path.

“I came into the CPFSA at three years of age and from then until now they have been taking care of me and making sure all my needs are met, that we are comfortable at the home and that we are being treated well. That has pushed me [to do what is right], knowing that I have a family at this place, and it pushes me to be a great person,” he shared.

Byfield recounted that during his preparation for the CSEC examinations at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency ensured that all its facilities and clients were equipped with devices and Wi-Fi access to facilitate online learning.

“During COVID, I was preparing for CSEC and we needed to get online, and we needed better Wi-Fi. The CPFSA assisted with that, making sure that there is Wi-Fi at all locations where we needed to do online classes. They provided devices – tablets and laptops – so we could get our work done. Because we had the devices and technology, it helped us to continue to do our work,” he said.

From his experience, Byfield said the CPFSA has been diligent in ensuring that the children in its care are equipped with all they need to succeed academically.

“It is important that we have these needs met, so I can do well at school, because if you have other things that are bothering you, then you will bring that into your education and that can have a negative impact, and you will not be able to excel. So, it's important to show them that what they are doing for me is not going to waste and that I work hard to turn it into something good,” he said.

Annually, the CPFSA spends in excess of $40 million for tuition, educational grants, and school supplies for children from early childhood to the tertiary level. Nearly $2 million was spent to offset the expenses for the 2023 May/June CSEC and CAPE.

Last year, a total of 170 youth in State care sat secondary external examinations (CSEC, CAPE) and other vocational exams, such as City and Guilds.

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