What about… the kiddie winnowing out

Well, here it is; one of our annual rituals – our 15,000 little (11+) darlings writing what in your Eyewitness’ (bygone) days used to be called “Common Entrance” exams! Just as de rigueur were the little tykes’ parents – mostly mothers – fussing and wishing them luck and all that!! That the name of the exam is now NGSA – the National Sixth Grade Assessment – Is supposed to be significant. The “Common Entrance” signalled the colonial-era exam that was open to all the “Standard 4” children competing for “entrance” to a few spots at Queens or Bishops in “town”.
In 2003, the “exam” was adjudged by the Ministry of Education – to put too much pressure on the little ragamuffins at such an early age. So instead, they instituted not one but THREE “ASSESSMENTS” – at Grades 2, 4 and 6!! They’re not REALLY “exams” – the tykes were now assured from age seven!! So, what is different!?! The results of the 2nd and 4th Grade “assessments” are factored into the NGSA – promising that the students’ strengths and weaknesses were monitored over a larger span!! So, when they enter High School’s 7th Grade, the teachers would have a good assessment of the raw material they’re being handed to mould into the new Guyana citizen!!
Have you even heard such crock? Your Eyewitness would like to know of a SINGLE instance where this kiddie utopian paradise was achieved!! The bottom line is there’s been ABSOLUTELY no change in whatever pressures the Common Entrance exam brought on and the present NGSA. It does what was always the case – it determines whether the kid will enter one of the 5 or so “elite” schools in GT or whether they’ll be schlepping over to their local “Secondary School”. Where, in addition not having the posh facilities of the “town school” bears the “familiarity breeds contempt” burden!!
And the pressure?? Since it’ll pretty much determine the “life chances” of the kids’ success or failure, why’d you think?? Of course, there’s gonna be exceptions but by and large the race is gonna be won by the “bright”. So over in the land of Carnival and Calypso, THEIR powers-that-be have decided to quit publicly releasing their – Common Entrance Exam results which had been dubbed SEA – Secondary Entrance Assessment – and have them only available on a portal!!
Each kid can now check his or her score personally. So what’ll happen when the same old “high flyer” cohort show up at the Premier High Schools?? Won’t the regular students know THEY didn’t get in – and feel inferior??
When we gonna give all secondary schools equal facilities – and kids just graduate from Primary schools to Secondary Schools in their neck of the woods??

…our Uranium?
Once again Kurupung – out in Reg 7 – is in the news!! Way back in the day it was a famous gold mining district that drew the famous pork knockers – who literally burnt money when they returned from the “bush”!! It led to one of our most famous folk songs – “Manin’ neighba, manin’, ah don’ want yuh conniving ma- nin’/When yuh been ah Kurupung, Yuh na bin tell me manin’/ Now because yuh money done, yuh come wid conniving mannin/”!!
Well, for over five decades we’ve been assured by various (scientific) prospectors that Kurupung also has reserves of Uranium ore!! While not as “dear” as gold, it’s right up there on the exploration radar – with countries looking to turn to uranium to supply nuclear power as an alternative to fossil fuels. There are also nuclear bombs that’s now in the news!!
Anyhow we have a Canadian company U92 drilling for uranium out there! The last one -U308 – gave up back in 2012!!
Hope this one strike uranium!!

…brooch warfare??
Our old people say, “All skin teeth na laff”!! It depends on the context. Caricom finally roused itself to remind its members they can’t skin their teeth with Devious Delcy – when her brooch declares ownership of Guyana’s Essequibo!!