Dear Editor
THE Ministry of Education (MoE) was forced to close schools in March of this year and rightfully so, due to the coronavirus disease, known as COVID-19. Editor, you can recall this was very close to the writing of the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) many know as ‘Common Entrance’; this exam had to be postponed.
The MoE for some time deliberated as to when this exam would be rescheduled for with the world gripped by the deadly and contagious COVID-19. Editor, as a parent, I must admit that I had great reservations about the writing of NGSA at such a time and to be candid, I was one of those persons who wanted the NGSA cancelled due to the serious health risk posed by the pandemic.

The Ministry of Education to its credit pressed on and insisted that our children write what I believe is one of the most important exams on the MoE’s calendar. In addition to announcing that the NGSA was to be written on July 1 and 2, the MoE announced that the NGSA will be guided by an examination order.
Editor, it was the Examination Order that caused me to have a different perspective on writing of the NGSA. Kudos to the Ministry of Education, the order outlined some very stringent measures such as the compulsory wearing of face masks at schools, hand-washing, social- distancing measures and restricted many categories of persons from entering the schools. Editor, in the end, the ministry was able to conduct the examination very successfully and I dare say adopting international best practices. There was this great clamour by a large cross-section of the nation for the NGSA not to be held. What are your views now? I noticed CSEC and CAPE are currently being written and if the NGSA is a yardstick to use, then those two exams are poised to be successfully hosted. Well done Ministry of Education; as a parent I think I should give credit where it is due.

Regards
Nigel Matthews