TEN visually impaired persons are now preparing to sit the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations as part of a project fostered by the Guyana Society for the Blind in collaboration with the Ministry of Education. This will be the second batch of visually impaired persons who will sit the examinations in Guyana.
Unlike in 2014, this year seven subject areas will be offered – Human and Social Biology, Social Studies, Principles of Business, Office Administration, Religious Administration, English Language and Caribbean History.
However, only five of the ten students will be sitting this year’s examination but the remaining five will sit the 2016 May/June examinations.
The project, however, was long nurtured before it was implemented and is a spinoff of another project that sought to teach visually impaired persons how to use computers.
Meanwhile, the Blind Society has been collaborating with the One Laptop Per Family Project (OLPF) in order to provide computers for the students as well as the implementation of the JAWS software which pose as a computer instructor for visually impaired learners.
The Ministry of Education has been financing the classes, making it possible for the students to write the exams by paying the instructors and examination fees.
Last year Rosemary Ramitt emerged as the top student of the first batch, securing five grade ones along with Odessa Harper who came second in securing five grade two passes at the CSEC examinations.
Ganesh Singh, Project Coordinator of Guyana Society of the Blind, said he is quite optimistic about this batch since they are all working hard to produce the best results.
Moreover, the society was fortunate to benefit from assistance by the Basic Needs Trust Fund which rehabilitated the society’s building as well as provided better furniture to accommodate members as well as the CSEC students.

(By Shivanie Sugrim )