-says Education Minister

MINISTER of Education, Priya Manickchand, on Monday, said the students who are writing this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) are prepared thanks to the tireless work of teachers who have braved the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Over the next month, thousands of students across Guyana will be writing these exams which commenced on Monday and are expected to come to an end on July 30, 2021.

Even though the COVID-19 pandemic has posed a significant challenge to the education system worldwide, Guyanese teachers have ensured that their students have access to the required teachings in preparation for their exams.
In October 2020, following several months of online learning, the ministry, with the permission of the Ministry of Health, made the decision to return students of Grades 11 and 12 to the classroom for face-to-face teaching.

Attendance was not mandatory but students turned out in their numbers for these preparatory sessions.
Minister Manickchand noted that the ministry mobilised resources to facilitate the return to the classroom based on the request of teachers and students. She said the ministry firmly believes that this decision was advantageous to this year’s CXC students.

“I expect our children to do very well. We are one of the countries that took some bold decisions and brought our children back out and not because we wanted to or not by ourselves; we listened to our teachers, students and parents… we brought the students out for face-to-face learning,” said Minister Manickchand.
She also stated that the resilience shown by the students to take up the challenge of learning during the pandemic reflects their determination to succeed and shows just how committed they are to achieving their academic goals.

Minister Manickchand encouraged the parents who made the sacrifices to send their children to school during this time, to ensure that their education is not disrupted.
“To the students, I believe you are as academically prepared as any other year. You are ready for this. So go into those exam rooms and ace these tests so that through you we can see our collective human resilience. To the teachers who came out, thank you. You are what is needed to defy challenges and rise up against odds. And to the parents, I know your sacrifices and how much you want more than you had for your children. We will give you the platform of which you always dreamed,” she said.

Meanwhile, Minister Manickchand expressed hope that these students will be the first and only set that will be writing CXC examinations after a lengthy disruption to learning owing to the pandemic.
She further stated that the ministry is currently assessing the larger impact of online learning. The minister noted that it is clear that while it is a good substitute, it does not have the same value as face-to-face instructions.