…APA wants MOE to postpone July exams

THE Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) has expressed its concern that students in the hinterland affected by educational inequalities and digital divide will be further impacted by the July dates set for the National Grade Six Assessment and the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC).

In a release to the media on Wednesday, the APA said that closure of schools for almost three months due to the pandemic did not allow hinterland students the same opportunities for e-learning as that of those who live on the coastland.

Now, with the NGSA and CSEC examinations set for next month, it fears that children in the region are ill-prepared for what is to come.

The APA said that while the Ministry of Education announced that e-learning would be facilitated and that workbooks for Grades Two, Four and Six pupils would be provided to schools, children in Grades One, Three, Five and the secondary level were not provided for and used the Guyana Learning Channel via radio as a supplement.

While the association was made aware that Regional Educational Officers took initiative to provide some workbooks for Grades One, Three, Five, it said that it is unsure whether this catered to all far-flung regions.

The APA added that secondary school students living in dormitories away from home had no choice but to return to their respective communities and though the University of Guyana (UG) proposed studies through online classes, in cases where this was impossible, these students had to take a leave of absence from pursuing their studies.

“While the efforts to bridge the technological gap between the coast and the hinterland through the establishment of ICT hubs and e-government internet access is commendable, very few of those stations provide reliable Internet to sustain e-learning,” the APA stated.

“In instances where private Internet service is available, it is often expensive to utilise for prolonged periods. Many communities do not have a reliable source of electricity, or none at all. In some cases, communities cannot access regional radio stations, let alone television stations. Where there may be radio stations, not every family has a radio or listening device to tune in.”

Meanwhile, the association wants to know what representation the Ministry of Education made on behalf of students from Indigenous and hinterland communities to the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC).

“The Council has said that in territories where the online testing infrastructure challenges are insurmountable, candidates will be allowed to sit the examinations using the paper-based modality but this does not take care of the gaps in learning and the serious challenges the students would have faced in keeping up with studies for their exams,” the release stated, further questioning:

“Will the ministry support them financially if there are many failures and children have to re-write exams? Does the ministry know how prepared the Grade Six children are for the exams?”

The APA is also concerned about students on the Hinterland Scholarship Programme and those with Public Service Ministry scholarships. It said that these are yet to be paid stipends and are finding it difficult to access the same, due to being situated in the hinterland.

The APA said: “It is clear that COVID- 19 has exposed the educational inequalities and digital divide in our educational system, something that the authorities surely should have known before. We urge that students from Indigenous and hinterland regions be afforded constructive redress and not be made to face situations for which they are not prepared. We urge that the ministry consider an extended timeframe that allows for students to get back into the school and other learning system to be able to cope with the various exams facing them.”