95% turnout recorded during sitting of NGSA – MoE

The National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) examinations, which were written on Wednesday and Thursday, have seen a resounding 95 per cent turnout despite the disquietude brought on by COVID-19.
Statistics provided by the Education Ministry showed that this 95 per cent attendance was garnered from the 14,400 candidates who were registered to sit the exams this year at the 503 examination centres across Guyana. The figures were compiled by each Department of Education in the 11 education districts.
“The Ministry of Education commits to searching for and re-integrating the remaining five per cent of pupils who did not turn up to write the examination,” said the Ministry in a statement.
This year, 33 new examination centres were established to eliminate the burden placed on children of having to travel long distances to get to their respective centres, which were not the schools they attended. In addition, the Ministry had established emergency centres that could accommodate those candidates who may have tested positive for COVID-19 or were in quarantine.
This was done for the 2021 CSEC and CAPE examinations, in which COVID-19 positive candidates were accommodated and allowed to write their examinations in a separate building.
Education Minister Priya Manickchand, Chief Education Officer Dr Marcel Hutson, and several officials visited examination centres on Thursday to observe the process and ensure that all established guidelines and protocols were in place and being followed.
Candidates continued to write their examinations under strict COVID-19 guidelines, including sanitising and washing of hands before entering examination centres, wearing of the recommended face mask, observing and maintaining social distancing at all times, and cleaning and sanitising of buildings and furniture.
“This year’s NGSA is being written at a time when Guyana, like the rest of the world, is in the middle of a pandemic. The Ministry of Education is proud of all Grade Six pupils for writing their examinations despite the challenges, such as being out of school for more than a year, along with the many issues related to online learning,” the Ministry added, while positing that teachers have stepped up to deliver under conditions that they had never previously faced.
This year, arrangements were made for the students in the public education system to receive an NGSA Care Package containing face masks, pencils, erasers, sharpener, hand sanitizer and ruler. Each pupil was given a study package containing notes, worksheets for the four subjects, past papers and 12 textbooks on the four subject areas.
In order to increase the pass rate and prepare students, the Ministry had launched the Quiz Me Platform on its website earlier this year, and it had offered students the opportunity to practice NGSA type questions and be given their results instantaneously.
The NGSA Booster Programme was also launched, whereby local teachers recorded teaching the topics featured on the examination. These videos are aired on the Guyana Learning Channel according to a timetabled schedule, and are also available for streaming on the Guyana Learning Channel’s YouTube channel.