Aditya Gopakumar, 17-year-old A-Levels student at Al-Nur School put Botswana on the global academic record after he was recently awarded with the Top award in Accounting by Cambridge at the Advanced Subsidiary (AS) Level 2023. In an interview following the achievement, he said he is extremely grateful to have received the Top in the World award for accounting, and it is a very gratifying feeling. “Accounting has been my passion ever since I took it up for the first time in Form 2 and I immediately found it intriguing how mathematics (which I am particularly fond of too) could be integrated into the real-world setting: dealing with business operations, analysis and measures,” he said. According to him, there is absolutely a huge sense of accomplishment, as even in his IGCSE examinations one of his goals was indeed to achieve a Top in the World award which he unfortunately did not achieve at the time. He said to be able to do it this time, that too in accounting, is truly a special feeling for him.
“ In addition to my achievement in Accounting, I managed to obtain 3 other awards at the AS Level: _Top in the Country_ in Mathematics, _Best across 4 Subjects_ in Botswana, as well as a _High Achievement_ award in Further Mathematics, which I had to study outside of school,” he added.
He also said in his IGCSEs, in 2022, he achieved 11 A*s, along with the Best across 8 Subjects_ in Botswana award, and the Top in the country for Additional Mathematics Award.
Parents, teachers
He noted that he really attributes his massive success to his parents, adding that for so long their unwavering encouragement has helped him push on to achieve even greater things.
He said each time he started slacking off work, his parents were the first ones to get him back up working buttressing that as he started feeling the heat of exam pressure, they were the ones to compose me, explaining that without them he would have achieved none of this success.
He added: “I would also like to extend massive thanks to my teachers at Al-Nur School. They have been nothing but supportive, the teachers sacrificing their time to teach us in afternoons, Saturdays, and holidays, just to ensure that we are fully ready for the final examination.”
Specifically, Aditya said he would like to acknowledge Mr. Madzingira, his Accounting teacher, who has been a real cornerstone in my achievements. His drive to push him higher and higher is something that has stuck with him throughout his academic journey.
“The school itself has been hugely important, as the effort to obtain the best and latest textbooks, and the emphasis on academic excellence has created the perfect environment for me to perform, for which I am also thankful for,” he added.