The Ministry of Education is consulting Grade Six teachers and parents across the country on the way forward for this year’s National Sixth Assessment (NGSA). The exams play a vital role in deciding which secondary school a child attends.
Education Minister Priya Manickchand said 2021 should have a higher level of security as the country continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
Going forward, the Minister said that she hopes that the lessons learned in 2020 will be used in 2021 for the delivery of education.
The Minister further thanked those teachers who have stepped in during this time to ensure that their students remain engaged even though they have been at home since March 2020.
Other exams to be considered include Grades Two, Four, Six and Nine. However, at this time the NGSA is being treated first. As it relates to NGSA, whatever decision is made will be guided by the COVID-19 virus trajectory and the advice given by the Ministry of Health.
Meanwhile, the Chief Education Officer, Dr. Marcel Hutson during comments that the Ministry recognizes the importance of primary education and has done many things to reach children so that they remain as engaged as possible. He explained that schedule content for all grades was broadcast on the Guyana Learning Channel while the Schools Broadcast and the Interactive Radio Instructions (IRI) programs continue to be broadcast on the radio.
During Thursday’s meeting, several professors shared their views on the issue and made meaningful recommendations on how the Ministry should address the issue.
Some of the options discussed included getting students to write the full exam on content up to Grade Six or the full exam but on content up to Grade Five. The meeting also explored the option of not having children write papers one and two or asking them to write both papers but with fewer questions. It was also recommended that students can complete projects as an assessment tool.