Grade Six pupils across Guyana will begin the first of two National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) mock examinations today, the Ministry of Education said.
Over 90% of the students will be writing the examinations in their classrooms while the remaining students have opted to do so at home.
In a statement yesterday, the ministry said that this will be the first time in 13 months that primary-aged pupils will be attending school, with the exception of the NGSA last year.
The statement said that the examination will be conducted under strict COVID-19 guidelines. Pupils, teachers and staff of each school will be sanitized and have their temperature checked before entering the compound or classroom.
During the day other sanitization exercises will take place to ensure a safe environment.
The two-day examination will be treated as a diagnostic test by teachers as they work to prepare pupils for the official examinations to be written on August 4th and 5th, 2021. The second mock examination is scheduled for July 2021.
Some pupils will not be writing the first mock examination on the scheduled dates due to some communities being on lockdown due to COVID-19 while others are flooded making schools and homes inaccessible.
As part of the Ministry’s efforts to assist parents and students to sit these examinations, each student would have received a care package containing masks, pencils, eraser, sharpener, a ruler, hand sanitizer and vitamin support, the statement said. Teachers and support staff will also receive a hand sanitizer, face masks, face shield and vitamin support.
Earlier in the year, the Ministry said it also distributed to Grade Six pupils a study package containing notes, worksheets, past papers and several textbooks.
