The 250 nursing students who wrote the 2016 nursing exams, which was allegedly compromised, took the test for a second time on Tuesday.
Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence along with her Junior Minster, Dr Karen Cummings, paid a visit to the students just before they wrote the examination at the Critchlow Labour College.
At last: Some 250 Nurses re-sit Examinations after being in limbo since last year; the students from four nursing establishments representing the Counties of Demerara and Berbice were forced to retake the exams following the discovery of a breach after the two-day Clinical and Functional tests in October 2016
In a statement released by the Health Ministry, the Minister said to a group of students “We are here to give you moral and spiritual support; we have full confidence in you”.
Minister Cummings also spoke to the students and said “We know you will have good success. Believe in yourselves”.
Those who re-wrote the nursing exams were students from the Georgetown School of Nursing, the Charles Roza School of Nursing located in Linden, the New Amsterdam School of Nursing and the privately-operated St Joseph Mercy Hospital in Georgetown.
The students from the four nursing institutions were all forced to retake the exams after it was discovered that there was a breach following the two-day Clinical and Functional tests in October 2016.
The nurses were outraged at having to retake the examination, staging multiple protest actions and calling for an alternative decision.
However, after lengthy debates and discussions within the Public Health Ministry, it was determined that having the nurses rewrite the examination would be the best option.
Investigations into the leaking of the professional examinations papers which were reportedly sold to students to the tune of some $180,000 are currently ongoing.
The authorities are confident that the breach originated from the Nursing Council. However, they are awaiting an unknown person who is currently abroad to assist with the investigations.
On Tuesday, Ministers Lawrence and Cummings said their presence at the College was to reaffirm their confidence in the integrity of the tests and the intelligence of the students.
The Education Ministry was tasked with preparing and executing the exams and will also be responsible for marking the papers.
The results of the examination are to be known on February 28.
