MoE engages GTU on reopening of schools for Christmas term

…NGSA results expected on or before September 25

As part of a holistic plan for the reopening of schools, Education Minister Priya Manickchand met with the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) on Tuesday to hear the Union’s views about the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) on the education sector and teachers in particular.

Prior to that meeting, the Minister made it clear that be it virtual, on platforms like Zoom or Google Classroom, via the Learning Channel or a physical opening, the most important issue to address presently is keeping teachers, children and their families safe as well as keeping children engaged academically.
September is usually the beginning of a new academic year; however, GTU expressed the view that schools were unprepared at present to accommodate a physical reopening that would allow for the safety of all involved.
A final decision has not been made relative to the physical reopening of schools. The Ministry continues to engage stakeholders on the issue and committed to making an announcement at the soonest.
Present at the meeting were the President of the Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) Mark Lyte, Chief Planning Officer (CPO) Nicola Johnson, NCERD Director Jennifer Cumberbatch among other senior and technical staff.
Schools have been closed in Guyana since March due to the pandemic. However, schools briefly opened to facilitate crucial exams for primary and secondary pupils.
NGSA results
Meanwhile, the Education Ministry has announced that results of the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) will be released on or before September 25.
Some 14,730 students were registered to write the NGSA this year. The exams were written on July 1 and 2 amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
While schools have been closed since mid-March, they were reopened to facilitate the NGSA.
This move, however, was done amid much criticisms since both parents and teachers were concerned about their safety during the pandemic.
The Education Ministry, in responding to those concerns, had contended that parents can opt to have their children not write the exams. However, they will be placed in a secondary school closest to their home.
“If the parents opt not to have their children or child write this examination, there is nothing we can do to force them. However, in not doing so, they will be placed at the school closest to them,” Chief Education Officer Ingrid Trotman told reporters in June.
“If they are not satisfied or perhaps if they have any other questions about being placed at the [secondary] school closest to them, there is what we call the placement examination.”
Moreover, the CEO had explained that if students are not satisfied with the schools closest to their homes, they can take these exams which will be done in July next year.
“If they satisfy that criteria, they can ask to write that placement exam…and I think they have to get over 70% in order to be placed in a school of a higher level,” she had stated. (G1)