Q My daughter is preparing to sit several CSEC subjects in May and June year, but seemed troubled by the various economic and social problems facing the country at this time. Any suggestions as to how we should deal with this situation?

A It is natural for your daughter to be disturbed by the social and economic problems facing the country, since as a young person, she is experiencing the effects of these problems daily. She would have seen increases in lunch cost and other items she buys. She would have seen the lawlessness, the crime and other inappropriate conduct, perhaps in her very own school community and might be wondering whether getting good results in the CSEC will enable her to do further studies and obtain or create a job opportunity. Also, she might have witnessed schoolmates suffering as a result of the social decay in our society, especially violence and sexual immorality. Therefore, it is not surprising that she is troubled to the extent that it is affecting her preparations for the imminent exams.

This is a moment to reassure your daughter of the family's commitment to her educational enterprise. Tell her that her education is priority in the allocation of the family economic resources and that financial arrangements are in place to underwrite the expenses for further study in order to achieve her career goals.

Educational pursuit

Let her know that, concerning her educational expenses, her primary responsibility is to be successful in all her subjects and to get the best grades possible. Try discerning whether she was given or got the impression that her educational pursuit was a strain on the family or that there are unnecessary burdens on family funds. Whatever the source of the discomfort affecting her studies is, you need to assure her that adequate resources are in place for her to fulfil her dream of attaining her vocational goals.

Additionally, she ought to be told that her achievement in the upcoming examinations holds the distinct possibility of helping you and herself to improve economic conditions. Furthermore, studies show that good education and a stable and supportive family life are usually good ways to avoid social dysfunctional activities.

It would be good for you to determine what specific social problem is affecting her mind. Is it arising from peer pressure? Is it resulting from actions of social deviants? Does she feel personally threatened? Is the school subjected to periodic violent outbursts? If you can talk to one of your daughter's classmates or another parent with a child in that class, it might give you ideas about what social problems might be facing your child.

Social environment

You being armed with this knowledge can further help her to understand her social environment - changing what can be changed and giving her coping skills for those activities over which she has no control. And please, visit the school and have a talk with her teachers and principal seeking their advice and assistance to help your daughter perform at her optimum in the examinations. Give her the reassurance of family support as this can mitigate the effects of social disintegration.

Helping her with revision to ensure that the syllabus is adequately covered and making sure she has the requisite past papers are important. And if you lack the time and exper-tise to help with study revisions, hire a competent person to oversee this urgent assignment. This will build her confidence level and contribute to an improved self-esteem. It might also be necessary to re-visit her study habits in order to get the best result at this time.

And do not neglect the use of spiritual resources in helping to calm the anxieties of your daughter, empowering her to endure and overcome problems and to make wise use of the opportunities the CSEC examinations offer. Praying with your child can enable her to experience peace in difficult social and economic situations, which will facilitate her best performance in the examinations.

Congratulations on your daughter reaching this level in her high-school education and I wish her every success.

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