Order gazetted for sitting of NGSA, CXC exams

…teachers worried dates too early

The order to facilitate the sitting of the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) examination, Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) has been gazetted.
Signed by caretaker Education Minister Nicolette Henry, the order stipulates that public schools will be opened from June 8 to August 15, to prepare students for the sitting of the examinations.
The order addresses the public health protocols which will be implemented for the examinations.
NGSA was scheduled to be held on April 8 and 9, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Tuesday, the Education Ministry announced the timetables for NGSA, CSEC, and CAPE.
CSEC has been set for July 13 –August 4, 2020, while CAPE examinations have been set for July 13–July 31, 2020.
Following the announcement, President of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU), Mark Lyte, expressed concerns on behalf of teachers countrywide.

Panic among teachers
Lyte said the GTU membership believes that the timeline for the examinations is too soon, since there is no decrease in spread of the novel coronavirus in Guyana.
“It created a bit of panic among teachers. Our concern is the state Guyana is in in relation to us having positive cases being identified almost on a daily basis…that is a cause for concern, because here we are, asking primary school-age children to come out to get whatever prepping they need for July 1 and 2”, the GTU President told Guyana Times.
Africo Selman, a Grade Six teacher and Grade Six-level supervisor at the Success Elementary School, also expressed concerns over the dates of the examinations.
“This is an important exam. It is a competitive placement exam, it determines a child’s future, more or less; and against that background, I am concerned about the children, as a teacher. Some children can be at a peak and with uncertainties they can diminish…July 1, July 2nd in my view is too early,” she said.
The union is scheduled to meet on Friday to further discuss the issue.

APA concerned
Additionally, the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) has also expressed concerns about the move to have the exams written at such short notice.
APA had said it is very concerned about indigenous and hinterland students who have been heavily impacted by the presence of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“…for almost three months, children nationally have not been in schools and have been negatively impacted. For hinterland students and the delivery of education, the impact has been even more severe. Many communities do not have a reliable source of electricity, or none at all. In some cases, communities cannot access regional radio stations, let alone television station. Many students have had to stop whatever form of classes they have been accustomed to attending and therefore have been without teaching and learning sessions for about more than two months,” the APA said.

Flights for exam papers
Meanwhile, to facilitate the sitting of exams in the hinterland region, the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF) has approved flights that will transport national examination papers and scripts between the Eugene F. Correia International Airport (ECIA) and 16 locations.
Schools in Guyana have closed their doors since March 16 due to the outbreak of the deadly virus. Compared to private schools, which have been facilitating online learning, public school students, especially those in the hinterland, have faced challenges in doing so, this is due to the lack of internet connection and access to smart devices.