11-y-o who got car as gift changing gears after PEP Heading to first-choice school in MoBay

The 11-year-old girl who received a car as a graduation gift ahead of the release of her Primary Exit Profile (PEP) results, has secured placement at her first-choice high school.

Last week, Karakay Pearson’s father, Montego Bay businessman Roman Pearson, made headlines after gifting her a car for her primary school graduation. Pearson told THE STAR that the gift was aimed at helping Karakay build wealth from an early age. While her PEP results were still pending at the time, he said he never doubted his daughter’s abilities.

“She pass for Mount Alvernia, her first choice. It’s not like I didn’t expect it but it’s her first choice! In Grade Four and Grade Five, I saw that she needed to perform better to match up with the scores,” Pearson said excitedly. Pearson, whose smile grew wider each minute, vividly recalled the moment he learnt that his daughter had secured placement at her first-choice school.

“The principal call me and say ‘You going to buy plane now’. I wasn’t even picking up because I was watching World Cup. She said ‘Anyway your daughter get her first choice’ and I just blank out and then see tears a come out of my eyes,” he said with a laugh.

He said Karakay became even more determined, not for a car, but simply just to secure a place at her preferred school and make her family proud. He said she worked tirelessly to overcome her academic shortcomings.

“She make me extra proud because she work towards her first choice, she work for it man,” Pearson told THE STAR. 

Just like when she received the car, Karakay screamed in delight, this time for her results. For her, the accomplishment came as a shock.

“I am feeling well and happy but I was shocked because it was my first time achieving a surprise like that from school. I was in class and my teacher told us but I was nervous and I was crying. My eyes were watery, no tears,” she told THE STAR laughing. She said that heading to Mount Alvernia means a lot as she continues to build on family legacy at the school.

“[Members] of my family went there and I would love to be an entrepreneur and I will still be doing athletics,” she said. Despite criticism from some over the timing of the gift, Pearson said the vehicle was never conditional on the PEP results.

“This achievement will mean a lot for her. Some people did say I give my daughter stuff not knowing which school she is going to yet. I gave her the car for her to focus on business, so it doesn’t matter which school she passed for. Mi done give her already and she’s already focused on her business.”

Pearson stressed that with his daughter already a young entrepreneur, guidance remains critical, as children may not make the full use of opportunities that are handed to them.

PEP results became available to schools at noon on Monday. In April, Grade Six students sat the examinations, which are used to assess readiness for secondary education and determine high school placement. Ninety per cent of students who sat the examination have been placed in a school of their choice. Addressing Monday's PEP press conference at Jamaica House, Education Minister Senator Dr Dana Morris Dixon, said 9.5 per cent of students were placed by proximity while 0.5 per cent were manually placed.

Dixon noted that almost 60 per cent of students were placed in one of their first three choices. Some 13 per cent were placed in their fourth choice, while 11 per cent each were placed in their fifth or sixth choice. Seven per cent were placed in their seventh choice.