CATHIA Dyer is beside herself with joy, having rebounded from the ordeal of seeing one of her sons doing his Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) from the confines of the Bustamante Hospital for Children.

Twelve-year-old Asani Dyer and his twin brother Arman, students of Alpha Primary School in Kingston, are now on their way to Wolmer’s Boys’ School, having attained high marks in the GSAT which was administered in March this year.

Asani, who had devoted much time to GSAT preparation, had to undergo surgery the day before he was scheduled to sit the high stakes examination.

Speaking with the Sunday Observer from the office of school principal Millicent Graham on Friday, Dyer explained that she was devastated when a doctor told her that her son had to go into the operating room to remove an inflamed appendix.

“Monday he came home complaining of belly pain, so I assumed it was gas, so I gave him some tea,” she said. “Tuesday he came home with the same problem and didn’t sleep the entire night as he was in so much pain. I took him to the doctor on Wednesday and he said he had to go to the hospital, and they (the hospital) said he had to have surgery. I was crazy, because I said I had been working with them for six years and he was finally getting to the stage where he was ready and… no GSAT.”

Dyer, who resides in Vineyard Town with her husband and their twin boys, explained that the moment she became aware of the need for the surgery, she had to rush to the Ministry of Education’s head office at Heroes Circle to request approval for her son to sit the examination at the hospital. She said amidst all her fears, the doctors at the hospital had assured her that Asani would definitely get to sit the examination.

When Dyer got to the Ministry of Education head office, she was told it was too late. However, they sent her to the ministry’s Caenwood Centre. She rushed there, arriving near 5:00 pm.

“They said OK, and they told me to make the arrangement at the hospital, where an officer from the education ministry would monitor Asani while he did the exam,” said Dyer who explained that Asani’s bout of illness also took a toll on his brother.

“While he was at the hospital on the day of the GSAT, I had to call the school and have them communicating and I had to take him (Arman) to the hospital every evening,” said Dyer, who added that the support from the medical staff at the hospital over the three days of her son’s hospitalisation was overwhelming.

Dyer told the Sunday Observer that she had worked closely with her sons for years and that her efforts included spending time supporting the class teacher, Joan Green-Garrison, who was preparing a class of 58 students.

Dyer, whose daughters have already made it through the local school system, had high praises for the class teacher, who also participated in the Sunday Observer interview, and who explained that other parents assisted her as she worked with her students, all of whom received scores in the high 90s and above, and have secured spaces in traditional high schools.

Based on the score sheet presented on Friday, Asani earned 98 per cent in Social Studies, 93 in Science, 95 in Mathematics, 96 in Language Arts and 11 out of 12 in Communication Task. His brother also did very well, gaining a 93 per cent average.

“I feel very happy,” said Asani about securing a place at Wolmer’s. While he is undecided about a career choice, his brother has his eyes set on becoming a designer of computer games.

For Dyer, who continues to devote much time and energy to the supervision of her boys’ school work, the likelihood of her son missing the GSAT was frightening. “Growing up poor and realising that education is the only way out for them and for me, I had a lot of dreams but no resources, so I said with my kids it’s going to be different. Somebody has to break the cycle of poverty so I started working with them from grade one,” she said.

Principal Graham, who said the school is still celebrating its performance in the GSAT, heaped praises on the grade six teachers, parents and students.