The Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) will be making recommendations on ensuring the safety of Grade Six students should they return to school for this year’s National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA).
GTU General Secretary Coretta McDonald on Monday told this newspaper that the Ministry of Education (MoE) has not indicated a date for a meeting with the union as yet but the GTU intends to pitch ideas for the upcoming NGSA. She said that she would not disclose these suggestions until they are discussed with the ministry.
She also said that the GTU’s current position as it concerns sending the students into physical classrooms for the NGSA is that stringent measures need to be put in place. “Bringing smaller children out to school where we still have no control over how they get to and from school—we still have no control with regards to the frequency with which toilet facilities, stairways, [and] classrooms are going to be sanitized…- those are all the factors we have to look into [before sending the students to write the exam],” McDonald said.
Last week, the MoE held consultations with parents and teachers of Grade Six students. The meetings were held virtually for two days and saw both teachers and parents float their own ideas for how the exams should be written. Some of the options discussed included having students write the full examination on content right up to Grade Six or the full examination but on content up to Grade Five. The meeting also examined the option of not having children write Papers I and II, or have them write both papers but with fewer questions. It was also recommended that students can complete projects as a means of assessment. The MoE assured the parents that all stakeholders will be consulted before a decision is made.
