Following the Caribbean Exami-nation Council’s decision to allow the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Pro-ficiency Examination (CAPE) exams to be done online in wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic, Guyana’s students, their parents and teachers are still awaiting word from the Ministry of Education on how they will be administered here.
The modified examination process involves the administration of at least one common paper (Multiple Choice Assess-ments) and School Based Assessments (SBAs) and Paper 032s (Alternative to SBA) for private candidates, with the assurance that the process will apply the appropriate weighting to ensure that candidates are treated fairly and in an unbiased manner.
The Council has said that in territories where the online testing infrastructure challenges are insurmountable, candidates will be allowed to sit the examinations using the paper-based modality.
The de facto Minister of Pub-lic Telecommunications Cathy Hughes told Stabroek News recently that should the Ministry of Education opt for an online route to administer exams, students would be able to do so using the systems provided for them.
Additionally, Hughes said that sitting of the exam during this period would have to be strongly monitored by the Ministry of Public Health and whatever guidelines are suggested by that ministry should be followed thoroughly. She also said that the three ministries—Education, Telecoms and Health—were working around the clock to ensure that all plans for the exams’ sitting were best suited for the safety of the persons who have to write the exams.
Some students who have spoken with Stabroek News have questioned the country’s capacity for online testing, while noting ongoing difficulties with online teaching after schools were closed to stem the spread of COVID-19.
La Shelle Williams, who is expected to sit the CSEC exams in July if the Ministry of Education doesn’t oppose to the Council’s decision, shared her concerns about the new exam style and the safety of candidates having to potentially sit the exams while the COVID-19 pandemic continues. She noted the importance usually placed on Paper II by students. “I don’t think that the Paper I would show the true potential of the students that are writing the exams and it’s more strain on us and our teachers” she said.
Lose marks
Williams mentioned that many students face different challenges, including no internet access. She further said that the inability to access the internet could potentially cause the student to lose marks, hence, possibly failing a subject which they might have passed if they were given the Paper II option, which she noted, would build up their score. To add to that, she said that rather than sitting the exam this year and potentially risking the lives of the candidates, “CXC should reconsider because not only are they putting us at risk but they are also creating more problems for us to acquire fair grades.” As an alternative to sitting the exam this year, when students are not fully prepared for the exam, she said that the classes of 2020 should sit the exam next January. The teen added that sending students to write an exam while a global pandemic is ongoing is not a “good idea” since it puts more persons at risk.
Three other CSEC students who spoke with Stabroek News before once again shared their thoughts about the regional council’s decisions and the lack of response from the local Ministry. Trina Persaud, 16, said that while she understands the need for the exams to be written since “they are extremely important for the entire Caribbean region,” the Ministry is tasked with a very hard decision of how to equip persons for the exam, the option they will choose and also how to keep them safe. “We are at the peak stage in the advancement of technology and if all candidates and markers have access to the best tools to do their respective tasks, there should be no issues on either sides [should the exam be written using the online option]. Candidates have had time since before the current pandemic to become experts in their subjects, especially considering that they chose their streams and later, the subjects they want to write. However, while practicing on past papers, I have seen how much of a saving grace extra questions can be and it shall surely affect the grades of candidates [this year]” Persaud said.
Persaud also agreed with the Council’s decision to utilise the SBA and Paper I scores for the final grade and added that at the moment, it’s their best “bet.” Persaud said that the school closure happened when most students would have already had a lot of time to grasp concepts, and that out of any batch of candidates before, the current one has had the most time since the exam was already pushed back by some time. “COVID-19 has provided us with even more time than any other candidates before us and quite possibly after. The subject matter and types of questions that will be presented to us in the exams will not be changed [by CXC]. We should be prepared. Some may argue it’s even easier this way,” she explained.
However, Persaud also observed that every time we step out of our homes we’re at risk. “So, yes, there is a level of fear to be felt. Also many candidates haven’t seen their friends in months and may not refrain from hugging and “Showing love”. But if we do the right things and take proper preventative measures, there should be no issues. The most reasonable options would be to have health workers at the schools on the days of examinations…they can check our temperatures on arrival and we can ensure that our hands are washed and sanitized. Also, we should do our exams in an auditorium or space where we can be as far from each other as possible. Masks should be mandatory and the adults responsible for candidates on these days should also follow these guidelines,” she recommended for the siting of the exams.
North Georgetown Secondary student Dana Purdessy, 16, had previously said that the current exam strategy would definitely affect students that didn’t do exceptionally well in SBAs. She said she would prefer that the ministry utilize the more familiar method of administering the exams and considering the dangers of the gatherings, she said that she hoped that CXC would postpone them as she believed that students are not prepared to sit any exam at this time. “I don’t believe that the ministry should agree with the decision to sit exams in July. There are so many children that have health issues and the idea of sitting an exam with a mask on is just not ideal,” Purdessy said. When Purdessy last spoke with Stabroek News, she said that there was no initiative implemented for the completion of the school syllabus for her class, and as a result she was not in agreement with the exams being written without a period before for students to continue their learning.
Syllabus
Jenika Thompson, a fifth former at St. Joseph High, agreed with the latter sentiment. “…Many students aren’t finished studying the syllabus and the schools’ attempts to finish it online are not working because some students don’t have internet access, especially the students who are living in the hinterland regions and also there are teachers who are complaining that there aren’t many students attending their zoom classes,” she said.
Thompson, however, added that she believes the e-testing method could be practical as it will take a short time to grade the exams and release results. “And I don’t see this affecting the writer’s final grade judging by how well students performed in the previous years,” she added.
A Bishops’ High School sixth former, who asked to be identified as ‘Shelly,’ agreed that e-testing would be an easy solution but added that there may be challenges for some students in relation to access to the needed resources. “Also I don’t think the ministry has intentions of providing for students who don’t have the resources. Additionally, Guyana in particular, is always experiencing problems with internet and electricity, so I think for the most part we would be at a disadvantage. Also, I believe Paper II would have carried the majority of the marks, so to assess us on Paper Is and the SBA would affect our grades and it would be an invalid way of testing our abilities. However I believe that adjustments could be made in the way that they divide the grades,” she said, before noting that at the moment she is not certain about how she feels as it relates to the exams and adjustments. Shelly further stated that “I don’t think it is wise to conduct e-testing for the examinations because of the possible challenges we might have to face. Considering the current situation, however, as it relates to assessing us based on our SBA and the paper one, it is not a bad idea because we haven’t had sufficient teaching and practice to be able to complete Paper II,” she said before adding that she hopes the Ministry of Education will use the offline method. She further added the she is just ready to move on with her life but she holds fear of contracting the new coronavirus since cases in Guyana are increasing and by July it might be worse.
A 16-year-old Leonora Secondary School student, who asked to not be named, said that she supports CXC’s decision to have students write the regional exams in its new modified way. The teenager said that she finds this method to be highly efficient in so far as markers would be able to easily mark the exam papers online. She noted that this is an advantage in keeping persons safe from contracting the coronavirus. As for preparedness, she said, many students might be partially ready. “Some students should be prepared because due to the lockdown, there was plenty of time to recap on what was already taught but some topics were never even introduced, so they might not be fully prepared,” she explained.
A fifth former from Diamond Secondary School, who also requested anonymity, said that her initial response to CXC’s exam strategy was relief but then after giving it some thought, she realised the importance of the Paper II. But it’s not only her grades that she is worried about. “I am worried because students’ lives can be endangered in the environment if enough precautions aren’t put in place”, she said, before adding that CXC should reconsider. “As much as they encouraged online classes some students learn from being in a class physically. Hence, when taught during the online classes, some are either confused or they couldn’t grasp the concepts being taught,” she said. Additionally, she spoke about the marking of the SBAs, which are being submitted. She said many students had little to no help from teachers since it was difficult to have constant contact with teachers while being away from school.
