William Knibb High School Student Wins Regional Essay Competition

Shaneek Frank, student of William Knibb High School in St. Ann has been awarded first place in the Caribbean Organisation of Tax Administrators-sponsored Regional Tax Essay Competition.
Director General of Tax Administration, Clive Nicholas went to the school on Tuesday (Nov. 30), where he presented Shaneek with a cheque valued at $90,000. She also received a computer on behalf of the sixth form students at the school.
Mr. Nicholas told JIS News, that the essay competition was part of efforts to encourage the payment of taxes and highlight how the money is used to provide necessary social services.
He said that many people in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean were not “willing taxpayers” and “they feel that maybe the government is not spending money properly and that only the wealthy folks in society should pay taxes”.
For her part, Shaneek pointed out that before she entered the competition, she believed that taxation was the “government’s way of robbing poor people but after researching and gaining knowledge I was empowered to enter the essay competition.”
She said that she was elated at her victory and was happy to prove that the rural schools could do as well as the institutions in Kingston. “They (her peers) were saying that the schools in Kingston would have had a better chance of winning the competition and that the essays submitted by those schools in Kingston would have precedence over ours,” she said.
Teacher at the school, Errol Henry said that Shaneek worked hard in the competition and that the school body was very proud of her achievement.
“Shaneek is an example to the rest of the school body and her achievement goes to show that William Knibb can succeed if the students put forth their best,” he told JIS News.
Shaneek appealed to the students of William Knibb to believe in themselves and to aim high in order to achieve the best in life.
“Believe that you can do it. Reach for the stars and don’t limit your ability. Empower yourself and live outside the box,” she encouraged.