Sister rewrites SEA with twin, refuses to leave her behind

WHAT happens when twin sisters write the SEA together but one passes and the other doesn’t?

Well, Shinaya Phillip decided she would not leave her sister Shamaya behind.

The sisters and best friends resat the exam this year and are now set to attend the same secondary school.

The 13-year-old identical sisters are from Warden Road, Point Fortin. They went to the Lorencia Motto preschool in New Village, then the Point Fortin ASJA Primary School. Their parents and teachers say they are inseparable, and their relationship warms the hearts of many.

Their mother Nikesha, 34, said when she found out she was having twins, she cried. While she was more than happy to welcome new members to the family, she had heard horror stories of birth complications with twins.

But their father Adam, 40, said he was excited. He said having twins is a joy.

“I was kinda scared but my husband was real happy," Nikesha remembered. “Some people said they had gotten a lot of pain and stuff and that I would have to get a C-section, but God was still good and I had them like normal.”

The couple has been together for 17 years, and have two other children – a 17-year-old son, Doniel, and a seven-year-old son, Iyekell.

The twins said people confuse one for the other very often but they’ve got used to it.

But sometimes, they said, it can still be annoying.

“Like if we walking together in Point, people will come up to us like, ‘Allyuh is twins?’ They know we are twins,but they asking we still,” Shamaya said.

They told Newsday they only have minimal differences. Shamaya said, “If she likes something, I like it too.” They enjoy playing cricket, football, riding their bike
and competing in track and field events. One difference they highlighted was that Shinaya competes in the long jump and high jump events, while Shamaya sprints.

Another is that Shamaya’s favourite subject is maths, while her sister’s is language arts.

When Shamaya did not earn a passing SEA grade in 2019, there were many tears and a lot of screaming.

But when Newsday had visited the school last year, they were crying while hugging each other closely, and the principal – Jamila Ali-Khan – explained what happened.

Last year, “I was devastated, I was really sad (when I saw my results),” Shamaya said.

Shinaya told Newsday it was right then and there she made up her mind to would retake the exam with her sister.

Nikesha said, “That’s my children. They are with each other 24/7. If one is sick, the other one gets depressed. That’s how they are.

"And I couldn’t force her. She was persistent and kept saying, ‘No, I’m not going, Mummy. I’m not going.’”

Asked if she would have done the same for her sister, Shamaya said yes.

They said last year, there was also a bit of a mix-up with their exam papers, which was eventually rectified. This year, they had to wear tags to help examiners tell them apart.

Their mother said when she went to make a formal complaint to the Education Ministry about this mix-up, Shinaya told the representative, "Well if she’s not going (to move on to secondary school with me), I’m not going."

They both found last year’s exam pretty difficult. But this year, “It was real easy,” they both said. They were both excited in the lead-up to SEA, and after the exam, they told their parents they were certain they did well.

Not having a laptop to be able to participate in online learning, they opted for having packages of schoolwork sent to their homes. They said the entire process went well – and they both passed for the Cedros Secondary School.

Asked what they would have done if they had passed for different schools, they said they would have requested a transfer.

They said their teacher, Fazra Ali-Ohab, stuck with them throughout and pushed them to do their best.

Ali-Ohab told Newsday the girls are “extremely close.

“They are always together, they can’t do without each other, which is very unique. They are always doing stuff together, they never leave each other’s side.”

She said Shinaya’s decision to rewrite the exam was admirable, adding that it “goes to show the bond they share.

“I am very, very happy for them. I am pleased with the results and I am sure they are pleased too.”

And the principal, Ali-Khan, said the experience last year was really touching.

“We could have heard the anguish in their voices about being separated.

“Shinaya was consoling her sister and saying, ‘I’m going to stay back with you. I’m going to be with you in this.’ And so said, so done. We accepted the child to repeat and this year, they did well.”

She said the teachers all gave a sigh of relief when they saw the results, and were very happy for the girls.

Shamaya wants to be a lawyer, and Shinaya wants to become a chef and own a restaurant.

In fact, when Newsday visited, they were cooking curried chicken. Adam said they are always cooking and baking, as those are two of their favourite hobbies.

The girls also love animals and have a pet (orange-winged Amazon) parrot named Cawcawt, a turtle named Diamond, and four rabbits – Suzy, Ashes, Bean – because Shamaya says he looks like a jellybean – and Peaches.

They're both excited to move on to secondary school, and thanked all their teachers at Point Fortin ASJA, who they said, “tried really hard” with them.

Both parents are extremely proud of their daughters and are excited to see what this new chapter of their lives holds.