AS grade-six students across the island buckle down for the last few weeks of preparation ahead of the 2026 Primary Exit Profile (PEP) examination set for the end of April, one mother-son duo is offering some advice.

Roxanne Brown, who helped her son Giovanni Green achieve success in last year’s exam, is urging parents to focus on providing support in practical ways.

“Support makes all the difference. It goes without saying: You have to be there with your child every step of the way. Preparing for PEP was a lot of work. Giovanni did extra lessons after school, then online sessions with a tutor. I didn’t leave him an inch. Gio went to Mona Heights Primary in grade three and the transition process was a little rough for him, so we had some catching up to do.

“But, I never let him feel as if he was doing it alone. His dad and his grandma are also very supportive — this, for me, is maybe the most important thing,” said Brown.

She added that she made a decision to forego her own studies to focus on Giovanni.

A personal loans officer at Access Financial Services (AFS) and mother of two, Brown said finding the time wasn’t easy, but the alternative was not an option.

“I had to take away all the distractions. Gio gets distracted easily and so I made sure to restrict the time he spent on devices and everything else. There were even times when his aunty said, ‘Give him a break,’ but I knew what he needed. He still had play time and went to church, but we also had long nights and weekends focused [on] putting in the work,” said Brown.

Their diligence paid off when Giovanni was named the 2025 Top PEP Awardee at the AFS Marcus James Scholarship Awards Ceremony in September last year.

Access Financial Services (AFS) personal loans officer Roxanne Brown (right) and her son Giovanni Green beam with pride after he was named the 2025 Top PEP Awardee at the AFS Marcus James Scholarship Ceremony.

Now a first-form student at Jamaica College (JC), the young scholar is encouraging grade-six students to read more and create a study routine they can stick with.

“You have to read a lot — and there’s a whole lot to cover so don’t wait on the last minute. Take the time to go through it; don’t just wait on the weekends alone. I would also advise them to focus on understanding the material rather than just memorising it. If you make it make sense and apply real life examples, it helps,” said Giovanni.

Having completed two terms of his first year of high school, Giovanni said his Jamaica College experience has so far lived up to expectations.

Referencing JC’s win at the ISSA Boys’ & Girls’ Athletics Championships this year, Giovanni shared, “It’s great to know that your school is a champion school. I’m focused on lacrosse, and being on the team has been a good experience for me. When it comes to school work, I can say that it has been challenging, and I know that I have to focus more in class and study more if I want to make it to the honour roll this year,” he added.

At almost 13 years old the seventh grader isn’t exactly sure what he wants to be when he grows up but he knows he wants to help people.

Noting that his teachers all speak of Giovanni’s great potential, Brown said she would be happy as long as her son pursues his God-given purpose.

“Giovanni was baptised Seventh-day Adventist and he’s active in church. Faith is very important to him. When you add that to his work ethic, I believe he will be successful in whatever he chooses to do. He’s a good kid and his future is looking bright. I’ll be here to support him along the way — and that’s what I encourage other parents to do with their kids, whether it’s high school or PEP,” said Brown.