Oct 3, 2026
4 min read
Shabeer Baksh had spent years putting aside his dream of owning a school. After more than two decades in business, he had largely moved on from the ambition that began with his first job as a teacher.
Then Kevon Jawahir, an educator he had coached in cricket, approached him with a proposal to establish a private school.
Baksh agreed.
In September 2025, the two men opened West Side High in Rosignol, West Coast Berbice, with the shared aim of helping young people in Region Five reach their full potential.
For Baksh, the partnership offered an opportunity to return to education. For Jawahir, it was a chance to expand an initiative that had begun with private mathematics lessons beneath a house.
As more students joined his classes, Jawahir introduced additional subjects, bringing in teachers to cover physics, chemistry, biology and English. He also taught mathematics, accounts and technical drawing.
The growing demand encouraged him to consider establishing a school of his own.
“When he came to me … saying that … he's thinking of a private school and he wants to partner with me, I welcomed it because I know what he's capable of,” Baksh said.
Jawahir has taught since 2014. He graduated from the Cyril Potter College of Education in 2016 and later earned a bachelor's degree in education, majoring in mathematics, from the University of Guyana.
Together, the men saw the school as a way to contribute to their community.
“We thought of helping Region No. 5 because … both myself and Mr. Baksh, we are persons who like to see development and elevation in kids,” Jawahir said.
Registration began in July 2025, and approximately 130 students had enrolled by the end of August, ahead of the school's opening the following month.
West Side High now has nine teachers, including trained educators and younger teachers pursuing training at the Cyril Potter College of Education. Jawahir said he works with the younger teachers to help them develop their classroom skills.
First CSEC results
The school's first reported Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examination results have given the founders an early measure of their progress.
Forty-five students sat the examinations this year. Jawahir reported pass rates above 80 per cent in several subjects, with numerous Grade One passes. Several students also passed five or more subjects, including mathematics and English.
Dishon Nundalall was among the standout performers, earning 16 Grade Ones and three Grade Twos. Jawahir identified him as Region Five's best-performing student and one of the country's top performers.
Ayesha Brijlall secured 13 Grade Ones and one Grade Two across 14 subjects.
“I was actually pleased with the results,” Jawahir said.
He explained that some of the students had attended his private lessons before West Side High opened and chose to continue learning with him at the new school.
“They decided to come along this journey with me because they trusted me in the process.”
Jawahir said the school's teaching approach is designed to give students additional opportunities to master the syllabus. Classes run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., followed by afternoon lessons that reinforce the day's work.
He said the later start was informed by his experience with students arriving late, while revisiting topics allows teachers to spend more time on difficult concepts.
“The reason for extra lessons is so that we do the syllabus more than once,” he explained.
More than examination results
For Baksh, the school's purpose extends beyond grades.
He said West Side High welcomes students with different abilities and backgrounds and is prepared to work with them over time, rather than define their potential by their starting point.
“Every student is special,” Baksh said. “We want to ensure that we can be there to make sure we coach them to make sure they could reach their full potential.”
The school represents a return to an ambition Baksh once put aside and an expansion of the teaching initiative Jawahir began with private lessons.
Their challenge now is to turn that shared vision into a lasting educational opportunity for students in Region Five.
