–parents, teachers concerned over students preparedness for NGSA

“PSYCHOLOGICALLY, I don’t think he’s prepared,” said the father of his 11-year-old child who attends the Peter’s Hall Primary School and who is gearing up to write the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) examination set for July 2020.

The exams, which were to be held on April 8 and 9, were postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, while this may seem as a positive to some as it relates to time, this is not a sentiment shared by all.

“He was preparing, going along well with the process prior to the virus, but the fact that he’s exposed to a lot of news, he keeps asking ‘how many persons got infected today’ or ‘how many more new cases’ and that alone can tell that it’s affecting his mind,” said the child’s father who preferred to remain anonymous.

This is a reality that has caught the attention of President of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU), Mark Lyte, who told this newspaper on Wednesday that NGSA students will likely be the group most affected in the public education system.

“I see that many of them are traumatised, they are confused because this is a whole new challenge. While the CXC students are a little older, these kids are younger,” he said.

“They are even more unprepared, they are even more traumatised. To say that we’re going to run off the NGSA in the next two months is a premature decision, because those children need more time to get themselves sorted out. There is a psychological fear and anxiety that it creates. If [I worry about whether] the person sitting next to me has the virus, how do I focus on learning and not the fear of contracting the virus?”

While the GTU has proposed that the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination be pushed to September, it recommends that the NGSA examinations be deferred to October.
Explaining the reason, Lyte reminded this newspaper that the NGSA is a local examination and Guyana has the option of telling the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) Administration, which administers the exam, when the country is ready to host same.

“There should be no rush in getting that exam off the ground because it is a local exam; a Guyana exam, not an exam that is taken by all Caribbean countries. So, we can say to CXC who is administering the exam for us…that we would like the exam to be done at ‘X’ time because of Guyana’s situation,” he said.

The GTU believes that the NGSA can be written in October with enough time for the children to start their new academic year in January and hopes that the Ministry of Education will consider this.
The NGSA examination and the revelation of its results are annually anticipated by Guyanese as many children study diligently with the intention of making it into one of the country’s ‘top schools.’

Last year, after six years of private school students securing the top spot, top performers came from the Graham’s Hall Primary School and CV Nunes Primary School.

The father who spoke to the newspaper also has high hopes for his child. However, he said that although his son remains in daily contact with his teachers and does his homework, he does not believe that the situation translates as “adequate” when compared to the classroom setting.

“At home is more of a relaxing environment and at school, more emphasis is placed on the entire preparation process,” he said. Added to this, he does not believe that pupils thoroughly understand the measures they must take to protect themselves from the deadly virus. As such, once schools reopen, parents will also face their share of worry.

He recommends that the examination be postponed as he does not believe that there is any harm in children entering secondary school a little later than is customary. He believes that health and safety should be put above academic achievement as COVID-19 can be a matter of life and death.

“I don’t see any harm in them pushing back this school year to start later down in October/November. Having them write the exam later down in the year or early next year, I don’t see anything wrong with that, but it’s up to the ministry,” he said.

An NGSA teacher from Linden also expressed a number of her concerns. “We have to consider the safety of our children. Will the centres be fumigated before exams? Will they be able to provide hand sanitizer or soap for each child during the exams? If the children wear masks, I think it’s going break their concentration, because some children are nervous during exams and with masks they wouldn’t be able to breathe properly,” she said.

The GTU hopes to meet with the Ministry of Education to further discuss such concerns and specifically what Guyana can do in its unique situation.