– despite setbacks due to limited Internet access and COVID-19

By Naomi Parris

THIS year, the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) was held under unusual circumstances, as pupils were forced to quickly adapt to Online learning given the troubling situation that came after Guyana recorded its first case of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in March of this year.

Soon after, schools in Guyana were forced to close abruptly to protect the children, teachers and other educators from contracting the disease and limiting the spread of the virus. This measure was particularly difficult for those pupils who were preparing to sit the NGSA in April.

Having to quickly adjust to the “new normal”, pupils quickly became acquainted with Online classes and lessons to prepare themselves for the upcoming examination, along with some uncertainties of when and how they will be able to sit their examinations without having fear of contracting the virus.
Sisson Nasario, 11, of Paruima, a village along the Kamarang River, noted that having to adjust to the ‘new normal’ was difficult for him, and as such he was not able to perform to the best of his ability.

The little lad noted that after schools were closed abruptly to contain the virus in the region, he was not able to complete the school’s curriculum, and go over notes with his teachers. And given the limited resources and partial access to the Internet, he said, it was even harder for him to properly prepare for the examinations.
However, with the help of his parents and a few relatives, he was still able to obtain 470 marks.

“Well, the challenges that I faced was the pandemic, which affected me; the mask that I wore was making me uncomfortable. I want to thank my aunty, who sent books for me to study, but if I had the device through the Internet, I would have done better,” he said.

Expressing similar sentiments was 12-year-old Emelda Gomez, who noted that she, too, was unable to perform to the best of her ability due to the adverse impact COVID-19 had on the education system in her village.

She said that after schools were forced to close, she was unable to interact with her teacher as she once did in the classroom setting, which was a struggle for her, as she had to quickly adjust to an unfamiliar learning environment.

Gomez also disclosed that she was unable to concentrate solely on her examinations, as her thoughts of anxiety and the pandemic clouded her mind.
“Due to the circumstances of the COVID-19, to wear the masks was a problem for me; I was having a hard time breathing, and my head was hurting. I could have done better, but the mask was hurting my head, so I couldn’t concentrate,” she said.

Gomez, who, like Sisson, also obtained 470 marks at the examinations, noted that she, too, had some challenges studying due to the limited access to study material and the Internet.
Nevertheless, with the help of her family and her teachers, she was still able to obtain satisfactory results in the examinations.
Both Gomez and Nasario will be starting their secondary education at the Paruima Mission Academy in the new school term.