As the country awaits a decision by the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) on whether it will postpone scheduled assessments, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand yesterday said that the government is open to giving students more time.
While giving an update yesterday on the reopening of schools, Manickchand reported in a video posted on the ministry’s Facebook page that CXC is currently re-examining a decision that was made in January of this year.
“We have very many options on the table that could possibly change that timeline,” she said in reference to the examinations, which are currently scheduled for June and July.
Trinidad and Tobago Minister of Education Nyan Gadsby-Dolly had reported on Thursday that CXC has written expressing its views on possible postponement and some other recommendations that have been forwarded from the Caribbean Union of Teachers and recommendations from different member States of CARICOM.”
Trinidad and Tobago has suggested a three weeks postponement, she said, while indicating that any further delays could lead to difficulties, including affecting students’ university applications
When contacted by this newspaper and asked what views Guyana has put forward, Manickchand said, “Guyana’s view was based on the options that were on the table at the time. We actively took a survey of both teachers and CXC students and taking that into consideration had a leaning to one of the options [put forward by CXC].” She added that most students asked for more time to be ready for the exams and noted that Guyana is willing to give the students more time.
“CXC has put a few options at the table but I understand some more options were put through and so a decision has not yet been made,” Manickchand continued, while noting that options range from doing nothing at all and continuing as normal with the current dates, to postponing the exams for as much as a month. She reminded that “it is an active rolling discussion and other options are being put forward.” Manickchand also told Stabroek News that the Education Ministry is hoping for a final decision from CXC by next week.
During her update yesterday, Manickchand also said that a change in dates for the CXC assessments could significantly impact the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) dates. According to Manickchand, the NGSA dates, August 4 and 5, were decided based on CXC’s exam dates and to ensure that the NGSA would be administered outside of CXC’s timeline. She assured that her ministry has heard the teachers, parents and students who said they would be prepared to write the exams in August and “we are going to fight very hard to deliver those exams efficiently and smoothly and in a way that is in our children’s best interest in August.”
