CXC endorses 2021 NGSA exam, marking process – Education Ministry

…says APNU/AFC attempt to bully children reprehensible

The Education Ministry on Sunday dismissed any notion that the 2021 National Grade Six Assessment examination and marking process was compromised, and called out the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Opposition for politicising and bullying children in Guyana.
According to the Ministry, it is disappointed and saddened about a statement issued by the coalition Opposition regarding the recent NGSA results, saying that the party was unable to unreservedly congratulate the students, parents, teachers and Education Ministry – all of whom in the midst of a pandemic persevered and conducted and sat the assessment.
In the missive on Sunday, the APNU/AFC spoke of the Ministry not using certain data in the presentation of the 2021 NGSA results last week as well as mentioning integrity of the results.
But in a subsequent statement responding to the Opposition, the Education Ministry said “…the Ministry thanks the party for acknowledging publicly that the process was clean and bears the integrity any exam should. APNU/AFC by stating that the process ‘could have been brought into disrepute’ is clearly and openly acknowledging that the process was NOT brought into disrepute.”
It went on to explain that the since 2016, the NGSA has been administered by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) – the premier regional examination body whose examinations most Guyanese have written to start their careers and further studies locally and internationally.
This year, in the interest of a fully transparent process that carries the CXC mark of integrity, the Ministry said that the role of that examining body was expanded to conduct the exam from the beginning to the end. It added that this was far more than what CXC was contracted to do under the APNU/AFC.
“To bring this reputable examination body into disrepute of being unable to run an examination without interference is a slap in the face of this entity, Caricom, and hard-working Guyanese. It also brings into question the foundation of many people’s lives.”
The Ministry reiterated that the process was entirely a CXC process and “the way the exam was conducted and marked is fully endorsed by CXC” as was stated openly by Dr Nicole Manning, the Director of Operations, of CXC.
It further highlighted that at this year’s NGSA examination, Guyana’s children performed well in harsh circumstances and this should all be celebrated by everyone.
“If the APNU/AFC had listened to the children who wrote the exams they would have heard almost all of the public-school children and many of the private school children crediting for their success, the NGSA Booster program on the Learning Channel, text books they received, The QuizMe platform and the consolidated curriculum, none of which existed prior to August 2020. Still, the Ministry believes it was doing what it is mandated to do: respond as the needs arose, a matter about which the Ministry remains proud. That party can make itself useful and would be serving its constituency sensibly if it were to encourage parents and students alike to make good use of those products in the absence of normalcy in the school environment and in preparation for next year’s NGSA,” the missive from the Education Ministry detailed.
Moreover, in response to the APNU/AFC questions about the non-presentation of certain statistics, the Ministry pointed out that CXC, for the first time this year, prepared and presented the report and more statistics than are usually given were presented on a screen, no less, complete with bar graphs and charts.
“The Ministry would be happy to help the Opposition interpret those statistics. The Ministry of Education is also pleased to say that within the next few days any member of the public would be able to access the performance of any school to see the progress/decline thereat for the last few years. We will do this with great pride and in the interest of transparency and accountability. For we do not believe we can advance if we do not all acknowledge where we are. This is a marked departure from the APNU/AFC not publishing the education digest for any of the years it has been in office, a practice the PPP/C Government had made normal for all almost its years in office,” it stated.
Further, the Education Ministry contended that if the mere routine visit, in the presence of cameras and close to 500 persons, by subject Minister Priya Manickchand – as was previously done by former Education Minister under the coalition regime, Rupert Roopnaraine – to the marking centres could bring the process into disrepute then that entire process would need to be thrown out and restarted. However, the Ministry posited that this was not necessary since there is nothing wrong with any such open visit.
“For the APNU/AFC to have suggested otherwise was an illogical, mischievous, politically opportunistic position that was adopted which simply does not reflect the truth and which they now accept was a flawed position even as they continue to offer enough suggestions to create doubt. The attempt by sitting MPs of the APNU/AFC to bring children of Ministry officials into disrepute and/or to publicly bully and/or take actions that can cause them to be bullied and harmed is nothing short of reprehensible and must be condemned by all.
The Ministry is viewing this matter with the seriousness it attracts and will take any action necessary to protect the nation’s children… The Ministry reiterates its position that the education of the nation’s children should not be politicised and hopes that the APNU/AFC can adopt a responsible posture going forward,” the statement outlined.
Meanwhile, the Education Ministry also threw out some questions to the APNU/AFC Opposition about certain things that were done under its tenure in office such as why the former Minister of Education Nicolette Henry instructed that the scripts of NGSA exams be burned almost immediately upon marking thereby breaching all established international examination protocols. (G8)