MoE cannot be allowed to put lives of our young students, teachers at risk

Dear Editor,
Several weeks ago, the Ministry of Education (MoE) assured parents that it would reschedule the sitting of the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) examinations to a date that would not cause panic, but would allow adequate time for children whose preparation for these exams was disrupted by the arrival of the COVID-19 virus in Guyana.
These children, of course, have since not been able to return to their classrooms to formally resume their preparation; yet, the MoE’s announcement a few days ago: that the NGSA would be held on 1st and 2nd July, 2020; and further, that examination-level students would return to their classrooms on 15th June, 2020 amidst the country’s battle to curb its climbing number of COVID-19 cases, has instead truly caused panic and fear in many children, parents and teachers.
Social media is awash with reactions from deeply concerned and distraught parents following the MoE’s announcements:
• “Why put the students’ lives at risk?” asked one parent. “Kids will be kids. They will not adhere to social distancing, as they were away from their friends for a long time…I don’t think the children’s lives should be endangered just for some exams. Papers can’t bring back lives.”
• “As a parent, I am scared for my daughter, because she is diabetic, and sometimes she has trouble breathing. How will she be able to wear her mask?” another parent asked.
• “Why?? All other exams across the globe have been cancelled. Why are you risking our lives for these exams? Do you have funding to provide assistance for each of these families in case a child gets sick? Is there counselling set up for children going through this system with a pandemic going on to channel their thoughts and emotions? I doubt there is. Please, for the health and safety of the children and the future of this country, rethink,” pleaded a parent.
• Another parent concluded that, “This is totally irresponsible and reckless. You are endangering the lives of students and staff. Stop this foolishness now.”

Indeed, this decision to bring students and teachers across the country together in classrooms when our Chief Medical Officer recently described Guyana’s COVID-19 situation as “almost break-away” (Stabroek News, 27th May, 2020) is incredulous, to say the least.
It also comes at a time when citizens of regions Six and Nine are on high alert following alarming increases in COVID-19 cases in neighbouring Suriname and Brazil. Thousands of our young children would have to use public transportation to get to and from their schools. They would be exposed to many other persons using public transportation, and at bus or car parks. It is a known fact that an asymptomatic person (child) can take home this deadly virus to parents, grandparents and siblings.
Added to these health concerns, the Amerindian People’s Association (APA) recently disclosed that hinterland students are not prepared to write examinations in July, having had little or no access to learning for almost three months. Surely, this must be the situation of many of our less-fortunate students. What would be the psychological impact on those children who are so inadequately prepared to write this important examination? It is easy to say that those students should have been preparing with the assistance of their parents; but, in reality, there may be many difficulties that did not make this possible. The Ministry’s solution of providing half-day sessions every other day for two weeks before the NGSA exam (at most, a total of 7 half-day sessions) is ludicrous.
The National COVID-19 Task Force recently denied GECOM’s request for the addition of two workstations for the ongoing National Recount on ground that the request did not meet the standards of safe guidelines for operation at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC). It
is difficult to believe that this same Task Force would approve of the Ministry of Education’s plan to bring together thousands of students and teachers all over Guyana. At a time when many more developed countries have decided against reopening their schools for the rest of the year, there are critical and compelling reasons for the Ministry of Education to delay the holding of these examinations and to rethink its approach to doing so.
The Ministry’s ill-advised plan for the sitting of the NGSA 2020 examinations cannot be allowed to happen. We cannot do this to our 11- and 12-year-olds.

Yours faithfully,
Muriel Jones,