No Grades 2, 4, 9 assessments in 2021-2022 academic year

…NGSA slated for July 2022

The Education Ministry has taken a decision not to facilitate the National Grades Two, Four and Nine Assessments for the upcoming academic year – in light of the COVID-19 disruptions which have hampered the preparation of students.
Chief Education Officer, Dr Marcel Hutson recently stated that the Education Ministry would have examined the possibility of having these assessments written during the 2021-2022 academic year.
However, it was decided that these assessments would not be possible, since students might not be able to fully prepare themselves. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the education sector has been affected tremendously with the absence of face-to-face learning.
“We have taken a stance that it is no point going in that direction because our students have not been exposed the way we would like them to be exposed. So, it might not be a logical thing to have those examinations executed at this point in time. Learners entering Grades Two, Four and Nine may not have effectively completed the curriculum and therefore, these are some of the reasons,” Dr Hutson explained.

Meanwhile, the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) has been tentatively set for July 6 and 7, 2022. This is since examination classes will be facilitated on a daily basis when school reopens on September 6 thus ensuring adequate contact time for students.
“We’re hoping that the children that are going into the examination classes, like the Grade Six and CSEC classes, that they’d be out every day. It’s nothing new for the Grades 10 and 11. They were out every day and they’ve done well generally,” he explained.
According to the CEO, the Ministry has been actively working to find solutions to ensure students are engaged to avoid any further learning loss.
“The easiest thing to do is to say we’re in a battle and we’re losing and therefore we should give up or wait and see how things should pan out. That is not leadership. Leadership is about fighting even in a crisis and arriving at solutions to treat a problem. We have a problem and we’re in a pandemic. Therefore, the Ministry of Education just didn’t sit down. It is easy to say we’re not ready and not doing anything but when you wear the hat, then you begin to understand the work that people have to do to get us to where we are.”
The Grades Two, Four and Nine Assessments were not written in 2020 either. Only the NGSA and Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations were facilitated.
With schools closed since March 2020, online platforms and other resources were enabled as the new tool to reach students, but there were setbacks in some remote communities owing to difficulties in access. Along with textbook and workpapers, radio and televised programmes were also introduced.
It was reported that 92 schools across the three levels will be opened, with the remainder operating on rotation basis. Others in the secondary level will resort to a full reopening as more students get immunised.