By Cathy Richards
Local authorities in Linden have launched an investigation into an incident which resulted in twenty-five students being denied the opportunity to sit biology at this year’s CSEC examination.
The matter was brought to the fore by several parents of children of Hururu Academy, Upper Berbice River.
Relating the incident, Annette Ross, a parent said that she had reported the matter to Regional Chairman Mortimer Mingo and is expecting a thorough investigation and justice in the matter. Ross explained that the students turned up at the examination centre on Friday, May 7th at the scheduled time but after long hours of waiting for the arrival of the examination papers the invigilators sent the students off for lunch at approximately 14:00 hrs.
“All the children went home and came back and still the papers did not show up, we waited with our children up to 6 o’clock and still no paper did not show up.”
The distraught parent said that she had accompanied her daughter back to the school as recommended, and upon enquiry was informed by the invigilators that the test papers had not yet arrived, and that the Education Supervisor based at Kwakwani, Vivette Williams had left at approximately 3:00pm for Aroaima to uplift the examination papers.
She further stated that she immediately called Williams on her cell phone, and was informed that she was waiting at the Mapletown, Aroaima checkpoint to collect the examination papers which were being transported to Aroaima in an RDC vehicle.
“At approximately 18:00 hrs, several parents start taking their children home because they had already been waiting for a long time for the arrival of the examination papers. Some of the families were Seventh-day Adventists. It was not until after 20:00 hrs on Friday May 7th, 2010 that I was informed that the examination papers reach in,” Ross said.
Contacted on Monday, Regional Chairman Mingo said that the RDC viewed the situation as untenable and demanding of serious scrutiny.
“As chairman of the Region 10 Education Committee, I am appalled at the reports of the situation where twenty-five students have been denied the opportunity to write the Human and Social Biology Paper 2 examination offered at other locations across Guyana by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) on Friday, May 7th, 2010,” Mingo said. He also chairs the Regional Education Committee.
Mingo said that from his immediate initial investigations, it appeared that the situation had resulted from the gross negligence and inefficiency of the officers responsible for the timely and safe transport of the examination papers to the school where they were to be administered.
However, while these were only initial conclusions, he has already summoned a meeting with the entire management level team of education officers in Region 10, the Regional Education Officer Claude Johnson and the Regional Executive Officer Henry Rodney, and ordered an immediate and thorough investigation into this occurrence.
“This investigation encompasses all of the circumstances surrounding this occurrence, including the stated concerns of the parents and students of being informed of the date and time that these examination papers were dispatched from the Examination Unit in Georgetown, and from the RDC office in Linden. I have also apprised the Hon. Minister of Education of this matter.”
Mingo said that his office is fully committed to obtaining a resolution of the issue which is in the best interest of the students of the Hururu Academy and their parents, and will continue to both pursue the matter to its conclusion as well as to keep the students and their parents fully informed of the progress in addressing the matter.
When contacted for comment on the issue Regional Education Officer Region 10 Claude Johnson said that he was in the process of preparing a report on the matter following a meeting which was summoned by the Regional Chairman.
He advised that for further information on the issue contact should be made with the supervisor of the examinations, Juliet Persico.
Persico when contacted yesterday afternoon said she could not speak with the media because she was not authorized to do so. However, Stabroek News was reliably informed that the matter is being discussed within the ministry and a release is expected shortly.
An education official – when questioned about whether the students will be allowed to write the exam at a later date – explained that the examination rules specify that if the exam is not written on the designated date then it cannot be written later.
“It doesn’t matter why they miss the exam,” the official said, “once they miss it then they can’t write it again. How can they write it again when the date has already passed?”
Stabroek News also attempted to contact the Education Supervisor based at Kwakwani, Vivette Williams, but she declined to comment and redirected the enquiry to REdO Johnson.
Several attempts were also made to contact Minister of Education Baksh but these were futile.
