CSEC/CAPE students grateful for extra time to study
18-year-old Alicia Meyer, is winding down her final days of studying as she prepares to write 5 units at the CAPE exams
18-year-old Alicia Meyer, is winding down her final days of studying as she prepares to write 5 units at the CAPE exams

…confident of churning out top performances

By Tamica Garnett

SOME see the glass half-full and some see it half-empty, so while some students may be nervous about writing their Caribbean Secondary Examinations Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) off schedule, others are grateful for the extra preparations time that having the exams postponed by some two months afforded them.

Though CSEC and CAPE exams are customarily written annually by secondary school students in May/June, earlier this year, the decision was taken by the administering body, the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), to have the 2020 examinations postponed as they assessed the situation after the COVID-19 pandemic began sweeping across the Caribbean in early March.

Many students admitted that they were initially concerned about being unsure of when the examinations would be held, but they were nonetheless glad for just a bit more time to do a little more studying, and be even more prepared for the exams.

However, that additional time was not without its challenges, given the conditions that the COVID-19 situation created.
“I felt relieved to have gotten some extra time to prepare for the exams, but the quarantining meant no school, and no school meant no teaching, and that was difficult,” shared 18-year-old Alicia Meyer, a Lower Six student at the St. Rose’s High School.

Striking a pose for the camera after Theatre Arts lessons are, from left, Andrica Coates, Riley Chandler, Andrew Ceasar and Roheim Haynes, all of the South Ruimveldt Secondary School (Photos by Elvin Croker)

Alicia is preparing to write six units at CAPE, and noted that filling the gap left by the school closure was its own strain at times. After the first cases of COVID-19 in Guyana on March 11, schools were closed indefinitely as part of measures to stem the spread of the virus.
“The challenge for me was a bit financial; because teachers weren’t teaching much, I had to pay for tutoring and private lessons, so it was harsh on my parents’ pocket, especially given that no one is working due to the COVID-19,” Meyers related.

Meyers does believe, however, that it was worth it, as she heads into her examinations as prepared as she could ever be. Her first examination is Physics and it is being held today.

Sharing Myers sentiments is her classmate Shacquelle Wilson, who does not believe he was as ready as he could be, if the exams were held in their scheduled May/June slot.

“I was at ease, since I believed I was not fully prepared to tackle these exams. In addition, I welcomed the decision [to postpone the exams], since I was fearful of contracting the [COVID-19] virus,” Wilson said.

Following the announcement that national exams would go on in July, schools were partially reopened to allow those students writing the exams access to their teachers at schools.

Wilson, like many students, said that he does have some concerns about the possibility of students spreading the virus amongst each other as they came out for the exams, and safety measures put in place to guard against the spread of the virus during the time at school.
However, after being at school for a few weeks, many of the students have felt reassured of the measures that have been implemented.

“I think the schools they put enough measures in place,” said 16-year-old Gavin Miranjie of St. Joseph High, who is writing nine subjects.
Measures implemented by the Ministry of Education (MoE) to safeguard against the spread of the coronavirus include the setting up of hand-washing sinks at the entrance of all schools; the testing of temperatures as each student enters the compound; and the arrangement of seats in the classroom at least 6 feet apart.
Miranjie was also happy with the extra time he was afforded following the postponement of the exams. He was able to get a little more support from his teachers even while he was at home, which enabled him to really put in a lot more studying.

“I was kind of glad that I got more time to study. I’m kind of confident going into the exams, because the teachers have been working with us on the Zoom app,” Gavin shared.

Though the exam officially started on Monday, not all of the students were out, as the exam started with assessments in foreign languages, music and sociology in the morning session, and Biology Paper 3 for private students in the afternoon sessions.

As the week progresses, however, most of the students are expected to be out with the sitting of the Paper 2 for Mathematics, English A on Tuesday. With her hopes of one day becoming a Mathematics teacher, 16-year-old Reanna Sealey from Covent Garden Secondary is looking forward to her Mathematics exams, and is really hopeful of doing well in that subject.

Sealey is scheduled to write five subjects at CSEC. During the time at home, she did have a hard time continuing her studies, while not getting the kind of assistance she needed from her teachers, but she made the best of what she could do while at home.
“I went on Online Tutoring and some Online sites, and it helped me a lot, because I learned new things and was able to apply them,” Sealey shared.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.