…Minister Henry says issues of timing was never a problem

By Naomi Parris
GUYANA and at least three other countries including Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica have raised concerns about the omission of the Paper Two component of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) this year, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earlier this month the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) had revealed that this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) will be written in July.

However, several countries including Guyana raised concerns over the council’s decision for the tests to be administered by the Caribbean Examinations Council, owing to the impact which the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the education sector, not only locally, but internationally.

When contacted, Guyana’s Minister of Education Dr Nicolette Henry revealed that concerns were never about the date of the examinations, but rather the methodologies to be used in administering the test, along with the integrity and omission of Paper Two.
Minister Henry further stated that CARICOM is engaging all stakeholders in meetings to address the concerns and complaints of the various countries as it pertains to the upcoming CSEC and CAPE examinations.

“They were four countries that did not find favour with the methodology and those countries were Guyana Jamaica, Trinidad, Antigua-Barbuda …the primary concern was the omission of the Paper Twos,” she stated.

Minister Henry noted that the timeline of sitting the examination was never an issue; it was the integrity of the Paper Two to ensure that students will sit the examination in an environment that would ensure honesty.

Additionally, the minister noted that it is still very premature to tell if the outcome of students’ grades will be affected, as she believes students will do well in their upcoming examinations, despite the current situation.

“It will be premature of me to make a pronouncement… in your analysis you will find that the schools that usually perform very well continue to perform well; [however], the outcome of the results is only something we could assess retrospectively,” she explained.
Additionally, taking into consideration that all students may not have the access to (ICT) hubs, internet and other academic materials, the minister noted that the education sector is still challenged with administering the curriculum.

“Well we know schools are out and so that obviously poses a challenge for the ministry of the execution of its work, since we function in the classroom … in some homes they may not have the things that many people take for granted in order to have the classroom setting; it depends on the work space, the number of children in a home, the different methodologies they’re using — some are using workbooks, some are using internet,” Minister Henry explained.

‘It’s going to take all hands on deck to curve [sic] the situation’
However, she noted that this will need an all-hands-on deck approach not only from the ministry, but from everyone.

“I think for every ministry of education, every country in the world they have had challenges. The first being for some age groups you have to rely on in-classroom activities; as such, for the [pupils] in the nursery level the ministry is relying on the parents to do their part …if you don’t have the parental supervision, then you know what’s going to happen,” she stated.

While acknowledging that the government had put a lot of its effort and time in ensuring that there are sufficient educational infrastructure and ITC hubs across the country, the greatest need right now is in people’s homes and that remains a challenge for the education ministry in ensuring that pupils and students [are] being educated about the pandemic.

Nevertheless, the minister noted that staffers, teachers and other education officials have been working above and beyond and will continue to work to ensure that every child is receiving a sound education, as more strategies and resources become available.