Schools across the country are expected to reopen today for the children writing the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE); but the question that is left unanswered is whether they will be ready for those exams in two weeks’ time.
Kumarie Algu
The reopening, the Education Ministry has stated, is to facilitate the students preparing for the exams after they had been away for more than three months. During the closure of schools, done to stop the spread of COVID-19, students were expected to study at home, with the supervision of their teachers via Zoom and other means of internet connection.
Shawna Henry
Over the next two weeks, the children will turn up for mere revision in schools.
Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) Chairman David Armogan, in an invited comment about this new development, said, “I understand the teachers would have telephone numbers for the students. They could also do it online, but not everybody has access to computers and the internet.
John Cao
“Then we also know that even if you have internet service, how difficult it is to have a proper service.”
He added that, from feedback received, the teachers have been in constant contact with their students.
“The teachers also have an interest in these students, because it will reflect on their performance. All of these teachers that I know have been engaging the students almost on a one-to-one basis by telephone or whatever other means, to make sure that they are pushing ahead.”
On the other hand, Tshuna Benjamin, a student of the Berbice High School who will be writing ten subjects at CSEC, said that was not that case. “In most of the subject areas, you are not getting teachers sending work to you; but some teachers are forwarding links on past papers that you don’t have, so that we could work along and keep up with the studying; but you are not getting…feedback from some teachers,” she explained.
Another student, John Cao of the same school, said while he was at home, there was no sort of encouragement. “Sometimes you just feel lazy when you are at home,” he explained.
Another major stumbling block for these students was the unreliable internet connection and electricity in the ancient county.
Kumarie Algu, who wants to become an obstetrician, stated, “You are on your class Zoom call and then all of a sudden your internet goes off and you are out of the call. Another challenge we are having is a lot of blackouts.”
Algu says she sometimes finds it difficult to focus on her studies because of the numerous distractions at home.
Shawna Henry, a student of the New Amsterdam Secondary School who will be sitting five subjects at CAPE, explained that she has not been meeting with her teachers to have certain concepts explained, and this itself poses some difficulties.
Henry also made mention of poor internet access, but noted that WhatsApp has been used effectively to send school work to her teachers.
The National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) will be conducted on July 1 and 2. NGSA, popularly known as “Common Entrance”, was initially scheduled to be written on April 8 and 9.
The Education Ministry had earlier in the month announced the timetables for NGSA, Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).
CSEC has been set for July 13 – August 4, 2020, while CAPE examinations have been set for July 13 – July 31, 2020.
