–First whole Education Bill since Guyana gained Independence

A PROPOSED Education Bill, the first of its kind since Guyana gained independence, according to subject Minister, Dr. Priya Manickchand, was tabled in the National Assembly yesterday, and read for the first time. 

The current Education Act being utilised in Guyana came into being since 1876, and was last amended sometime in 1976. The proposed Bill, on the other hand, is intended to repeal the Education Act; reform the legal framework for education in Guyana; and provide an effective system of education related to the needs of the people.
The 126-page Bill includes legislative provisions for several first-time undertakings, and addresses several areas, ranging from administration of the sector, to special-needs education. And with regards to the latter, the Bill outlines the determination of special educational needs, special needs appeals, and the establishment of a council on special education.

SPECIAL-NEEDS EDUCATION
According to the Bill, the Chief Education Officer shall provide a special education programme for any student of compulsory school age, and may provide education for a student beyond that age, who, by virtue of intellectual, communicative, behavioral, physical or multiple attributes or other conditions, is in need of special education.

It says, “A student who is entitled to a special education programme shall have the programme delivered in the least restrictive and most enabling environment that resources permit, and that is considered practicable by the Chief Education Officer in consultation with the principal and professional staff of the school and the student’s parents, having regard to the educational needs and rights of other students.
“A special education programme may take the form of an individual education plan tailored to the specific or individual needs of the student.”
The proposed legislation further empowers students with special needs, by stipulating that if it is determined that a student will require an individual education plan, then the cost of developing, providing and maintaining the plan shall be split between the parents and the Ministry.
Provision has also been made for the establishment of a Council on Special Education, which will advise the subject Minister on the guidelines for implementing a special education programme.

ADMINISTRATION
In terms of administration, the Bill stipulates that the Minister shall, subject to the resources of the State, ensure that all citizens of Guyana, regardless of age, race, creed, gender, physical or mental ability or socio-economic status, are given the best opportunity to achieve their full potential through equal access to quality education, as defined by the standards and norms outlined by the Ministry. The section dealing with administration also addresses the de-centralised education system of management; the responsibilities and powers of the Education Minister; and the establishment of a National Advisory Committee on Education
The Bill specifies that the functions of the Advisory Committee shall be to advise the Minister on: Matters relating to education; matters respecting the discharge of any of the Minister’s responsibilities or the exercising of the Minister’s powers under this Act, as the Minister refers to the Advisory Committee; and on any other matters relating to the promotion of education that the Minister requests advice on from the Advisory Committee.
Several detailed parameters by which private schools should be guided are also mentioned in the Bill.

DECENTRALISED SYSTEM
On the matter of decentralising the education system, the Bill states that the Ministry of Education, headed by the Minister, Permanent Secretary and the Chief Education Officer, has responsibility for:
* National education strategic planning and research;
* Policy formulation and development;
* Resource mobilization;
* Providing centralised services in relation to teacher training and development, facilities of school inspection, curriculum development, text and exercise books, school feeding, administration of examinations, setting of academic and non-academic standards;
* Monitoring and evaluating education delivery and policy implementation; and
* Reporting on the performance of the education system throughout the ten administrative regions, including the Georgetown education district
With respect to the ten Regional Democratic Councils, they are responsible for the management of the country’s ten administrative regions, except the Georgetown district; and their responsibility extends to the general supervision of education in each region, and to the actual implementation of the education programme through the Regional Education Departments. The Georgetown education district is managed by the Ministry of Education, through a Principal Education Officer.
The Regional Education Departments, according to the Bill, will be directly responsible for the management and supervision of the day-to-day implementation of education in their respective regions, with among their major areas of responsibilities being:
* Management of the delivery of education at the regional level through regular monitoring, supervision and inspection visits to schools;
* Communication of education policies;
* Advising a Regional Democratic Council on education and providing feedback to the Ministry;
* Establishing and maintaining good school and community relationships through the involvement of a Parent Teacher Association in every school;
* Ensuring overall consistency of the regional work plan and school improvement plan with the strategic plan of the Ministry; and
* Ensuring that the non-academic standards are met.
Additionally, the employment of teachers, qualifications of teachers, requirements for employment as a teacher, and the appointment of teachers to public schools, etc., are clearly stipulated in the Bill. The Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) is to be governed by this piece of legislation too.
Also, the institution of a national curriculum, guidelines addressing core and foundation subjects, assessment stages, determination of attainment targets and the establishment of subject panels are included.

OTHER AREAS
Another section of the Bill that deals with students’ rights and responsibilities includes the right to education, compulsory education, free tuition at schools, students’ responsibilities, accountability of students, the return of property and the exercise of rights.
Parents’ rights and responsibilities are also dealt with in the Bill and takes into consideration several areas, such as: Choice of education; rights and responsibilities of parents or guardians; student records and reports; Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs); suggestions and wishes of parents to be considered; and school committees.
Other areas are: The admission of students, maintenance of order and discipline in schools, categories of schools and the stages of education and management of public educational institutions and the attendance of students.
Relative to the latter, the Bill says, “It shall be the duty of the parents or guardians of a child of compulsory school age to cause the child to regularly and punctually attend school unless the child is excused from school attendance as prescribed by the regulations. The parent or guardian of a child of compulsory school age who wishes the child to be exempt from compulsory school attendance may apply for a certificate of exemption from attendance.”
Additionally, provisions addressing distance learning and continuing and adult education are also included.
Monitoring, evaluation, reporting and development in the sector and the purpose of monitoring, evaluation, reporting and development also form and important part of the Bill – all in the interest of  providing an adequate frameworks for the delivery of high quality, contemporary education, to better develop each student’s potential and maximise their educational achievement.
The move to draft a new Education Bill to adequately address the modern education issues and challenges currently experienced by the sector began in 2005. The Bill tabled in the House reflects information gleaned by the Ministry through a number of public consultations held countrywide between the Ministry of Education and all key stakeholders.

NB: Please put in a box in corner of page:
* Provides for modern education system and to meet needs of students of all ages and abilities
* Caters for de-centralised education system of management
* Mandates establishment of National Advisory Committee on Education
* Provides for the establishment of a Council on Special Education
* Regularises the operations of private schools which must now have permit, be registered, comply with standards.
* Prescribes severe penalties for assault and abuse of teachers by parents and students
* Makes education compulsory from nursery to secondary.

Source: (By Vanessa Narine) https://guyanachronicle.com/2014/06/20/manickchand-lays-historic-education-bill-in-national-assembly

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand will be presenting a new Education Bill to the National Assembly today, Thursday June 19, which is expected to provide adequate frameworks for the delivery of high quality, contemporary education, to better develop each student’s potential and maximize their educational achievement.

Some of the key areas of this new Education Bill which once passed will repeal the old Education Act include: rights and responsibilities of students and parents, categories of schools and the stages of education, management of public educational institutions, employment of teachers, curriculum assessment of students, inspection and review of the education system

The current Education Act utilized in Guyana came into being since 1876, with its last amendments made sometime in 1976.

The Government in recognizing the misalignment of Guyana’s education legislation with contemporary regional and international education benchmarks, decided since 2005, to set about drafting a new Education Bill that can adequately address the modern education issues and challenges currently experienced by the sector.

It was noted that the Bill reflects information gleaned by the Ministry through a number of public consultations held countrywide between the MOE and all key stakeholders.

New Education Bill for Parliament today

Despite being touted for decades as one of the premier schools in Guyana, President’s College was noticeably missing from the list of top schools during the announcement of the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) results last week.

At the press conference last Thursday, Minister of Education Priya Manickchand presented the cut-off marks for Queen’s College (514 marks), The Bishops’ High School (510 marks), St. Stanislaus College (506 marks), St. Rose’s High School (503 marks), and St. Joseph’s High (500 marks). President’s College’s absence from the list raised concerns in the audience, with at least one media operative directing questions on the school’s present standings.

Noting that no one had been awarded a place at the school along with the fact that no cut-off mark had been mentioned, one person said, “Twenty years ago…the big school was President’s College. Twenty years later we are not hearing any mention of them even as one of the schools in the top 5 of the country.”

In response, Manickchand said, “Twenty years ago, it [President’s College] was created to be the top school; it no longer is functioning in that regard because it is not meeting the needs of our children best.”

She further explained that the school is the top school on the East Coast, which allowed both residential and non-residential places.

Students who attained 491 marks and more and who live between Cummings Lodge and Mahaica are awarded a non-residential place while residential spots were awarded to students from all regions except Region 3.

“So it [President’s College] is actually serving more persons and more needy persons now,” Manickchand said. She continued, “What happened was you have a school…that is generally underpopulated but extremely expensive to run because it is a residential school. And while that was happening you had all these children from…1, 2, 7, 9, 10, 5 and so on who needed a good school to go to but couldn’t access it because it was only for the top echelon.”

Manickchand expressed the belief that the ministry’s current position in regards to President’s College offers top-notch education to those who would have otherwise been deprived of it. “If we were to say we’re offering President’s College only to top students then essentially what we’re saying is 120 elite students in this country will have the option of going to either PC or QC. Some will choose PC, some will choose QC and both will be underpopulated which is not good for the delivery of the quality education that can be delivered and it really denies children in the hinterland areas who can do better if they’re given an opportunity with labs and so on; it denies them that opportunity.”

Despite the school’s apparent fall from grace, the minister nevertheless maintained that President’s College remains one of the best schools in the country, especially in regards to its Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) performances.

She added, “Since the ministry changed its policy in regards to President’s College – allowing entrants from regional schools – if you look at President’s College’s score, everything for CXC are in the 90s.

So these children are coming somewhere from Region 1 – that can’t come to this school unless we allow them to live there – and they are getting in the 90s at CXC; [grade] 1’s and so on. They may not have been able to get that in their regions at this stage. So I think it actually benefits.”

“The quality of education being offered there is on par with the quality we have everywhere else,” she emphasised.

Source: https://www.stabroeknews.com/2014/news/guyana/06/19/presidents-college-longer-among-top-schools-ngsa-high-achievers/

PRESIDENT’S College (PC) has not lost its ‘stripes,’ Minister of Education Priya Manickchand has said, as she defended her Ministry’s position in explaining why this senior secondary school has not been listed as one of the top five 6th Form schools.

Minister Manickchand was speaking at a press briefing last Thursday at the National Center for Educational Resource Development (NCERD), located on Battery Road, Kingston, Georgetown.

Students can enter President’s College, which is located at Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara, through the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) and the lower sixth form based on their performance at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC).

Manickchand recalled that some 20 years ago President’s College was the top school but it is no longer functioning in that capacity.

“PC is the top school on the East Coast of Demerara,… students who achieved 491 marks and above were awarded non-residential positions at the school. And students from Regions 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 who had these high scores were awarded residential position at PC,” Manickchand said.

She noted that PC is actually serving more persons now than before, since in the past: “When you got PC you also got a slip to go to QC (Queen’s College). At that time the school was under-utilised and very expensive to maintain because it is a residential school. We are in a different place now, because students who are getting QC are not coming to QC because there are schools in their communities that are providing the same incredible education.

“Since the Ministry (of Education) changed its policy regarding President’s College allowing entrance from regional schools, everything for this school is still in the 90’s, so a student from Region One that can’t come to QC or other schools can be placed in PC and be able to get a better secondary education,” the Education Minister explained.

Manickchand also indicated that some 203 children from across Guyana will be attending PC, since they have obtained 491 marks, and some students from the hinterland regions will also be attending the senior secondary school.

President’s College, opened in 1985, was founded by the late President of Guyana, Forbes Burnham, who launched the project in 1983 but died before the school opened. Students used to be selected from the top two percent of candidates in the Secondary School Entrance Examination (SSEE) and subjected to an evaluation process, including interviews with school personnel.
Now students are allowed transfer to PC, and preference is given to those from more remote areas. The school allows students to attend without being residential, thereby functioning as a boarding and a day school.

Source: Written By Rebecca Ganesh-Ally https://guyanachronicle.com/2014/06/18/presidents-college-has-not-lost-its-stripes-manickchand-functions-now-as-a-boarding-and-a-day-school

Although it was created to be the country’s top secondary school with residential provision more than three decades ago, today President’s College no longer boasts this status. This development was confirmed by Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, during a press conference hosted at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development last week.

According to the Minister the school, is currently not functioning in the capacity it was designed since “it is not meeting the needs of our children best.”
The school however, remains one of the country’s senior secondary schools providing instructions that are on par with other schools.
And although the school was not highlighted among the top secondary schools to which National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) candidates were allotted, the Minister said that 203 children from across Guyana have been awarded a place there.

As an ‘A’ List school, Minister Manickchand explained that President’s College is the top secondary school on East Coast Demerara. Moreover, candidates residing between Cummings Lodge and Mahaica who attain 491 or more at the NGSA are awarded non-residential placement at President’s College.
She disclosed that candidates from Regions One, Two, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine and Ten who have the stipulated high scores are permitted residential placement at the school.

The Minister said that “it is actually serving more persons and more needy persons now.”
She said that when President’s College started, it served as an option for the top performers of the country many of whom instead opted to attend Queen’s College. “You could choose which one you wanted to go to but what happened, was that you had a school that a lot of people were choosing…”recalled the Minister who herself was guilty of so doing.

“For example my entire family, brother, sister and I, we all got PC but we chose to go to QC; so you had the school (PC) heavily under populated but extremely expensive to run because it is a residential school, and while that was happening we had all these children from (Regions) One, Two, Five, Seven, Eight, Nine and 10 who needed a good school to go to but couldn’t access it (because) it was only for the top echelon,” admitted Manickchand.
But according to her, “We are in a different place now; even children who are getting Queen’s College are not coming to Queen’s College because there are schools in their communities that are providing such incredible education that they are choosing to stay at home.”

She alluded to the fact that Yogeeta Persaud, who was the overall best performer at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination last year, was in fact a product of a regional secondary school.  Also, Zimeena Rasheed who made history when she wrote the most subjects undertaken by a single candidate at CSEC, like Persaud, opted to attend the Anna Regina Multilateral School.

“When they wrote Common Entrance (now NGSA) they both got Queen’s College but they chose to stay at Anna Regina. People are choosing to stay in their communities and this is a phenomenon we started seeing five or six years ago,” observed the Education Minister.

She noted , “If we were to say we are offering President’s College only to the top students then essentially what you are saying, is that 120 elite students in this country will have the option of going to either PC or QC; some will choose QC, some will choose PC and both (schools) will be under-populated which is not good for the delivery of quality education, and it really denies children from the hinterland the opportunity of accessing laboratories and other facilities to help them do better.”

Ever since the Ministry changed its policy regarding the school, thereby allowing entrants from regional schools, the Minister said that the scores have improved considerably. “So these children are coming from somewhere in Region One that can’t come to this school except we allow them to live there, they are getting (Grade) Ones and so on at CSEC that they may not have been able to get in their Regions if they stayed…”

The Minister is convinced that the situation that obtains is a much improved one even as she insisted that President’s College, which offers students a total of 17 subjects, remains one of the better performing schools in the country.

Source: https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2014/06/17/education-minister-defends-policy-toward-presidents-college/

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand has noted that the education system is poised for take-off given its current position, and that the teachers and parents of the East Street Nursery could help the sector achieve greater heights by ensuring the school works at its best.

She was speaking today, at the commissioning of the new East Street nursery School in Georgetown that was constructed by R. Bassoo and Sons to the tune of $38M.

The commissioning comes on the heel of the announcement across the region, of Guyana topping CXC and securing, five of the eight regional awards. “These are all Guyanese sons and daughters, and what was amazing; to me and what I want to bring home forcefully to you, is that these children did not come out of the homes of very wealthy, elite parents. One of them is a daughter of a wood cutter and teacher. Another is the son of a civil servant and his mother is a banker …and so your children here, whether you are a cleaner or sweeper or you are uniformed and you have left work to come here, or you have a degree and your own private little business, your children here are capable of being those children that we celebrated here two days ago, in the next 13 to 14 years,” she noted.

Educationally, Minister Manickchand said, the country is where it should be building-wise and teacher-wise. “This education sector is at the highest point it has ever been. Just recently we graduated the highest number of teachers this country has ever seen; about 849 trained teachers graduated from the Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE). We are paying our teachers the best salaries they have ever enjoyed in this country; and this will only improve under this government. And we do not feel as a government that we are doing the people a favour. We believe that when we provide the infrastructure, and all the necessary mechanisms to enable learning in the education system, that we are fulfilling the mandate the people of Guyana have given us when they selected us to be their servants,” the Minister said

Minister Manickchand called on the teachers to do more to ensure the system works in this regard. “To the teachers of this school, it is going to require far more than that trained certificate you have. We will demand of you as a community that you be the best you can be because you are in a place where you have this great burden to produce people who will help to develop Guyana, so that your children and my children could inherit a Guyana that is better than the one we have here today.”

She also said that the parents have to be fully involved in their children’s school lives if East Street Nursery is to be a good school.

“…our best days are yet to come and those best days are in your little children, and so today let us make sure that we commit ourselves that …we will do what we have to do to ensure that it comes out of them, so that Guyana gets to benefit from that so that the world gets to benefit from what your children have to offer,” the Minister said.

The old East Street Nursery school was demolished on July 3, 2013; two weeks after schools were closed for July-August vacation. This placed the contractor under serious pressure to get the building ready under six weeks, which was before the scheduled re-opening of school.

Due to weather and other factors, the construction took eight weeks and the re-opening of the school was delayed.

The Minister also noted the ministry’s appreciation to the parents for being understanding about the delay. She applauded them for not resorting to criticism and protests hereby exasperating “an already difficult situation”. She also singled out the contractor for praise, for working with all the stakeholders and pushing to complete the school. The contractor’s effort should stand as an example of what the relationship, between, Government and contractors should be in the execution of Government projects, she noted.

Head teacher Belinda Cameron was also in high praise of the contractor. She disclosed that he, at his own expense, provided fans for the school and air conditioning her office and the staff room. Cameron was also appreciative of the new physical accommodation, which allows for better spacing and is more conducive to learning.

During the ceremony, the contractor, Ray Bassoo Snr also presented the school with several musical sets for the children’s enjoyment and the school in turn presented him with a plaque to show their appreciation for his efforts.

The East Street Nursery School was founded in January 7, 1968, by the then Former Headmistress of the Winfer Gardens, Winifred Fernandez. Then, the school was housed in the primary school building of Winifred Primary and provided education to 20 under privileged children, who were also provided with a hot meal.

The school came under government’s control in 1976 and was later moved in 1979 to the servants’ quarters of the then ombudsman Kit Nascimento.

The building was extended in 1987, then again in 1988 by SIMAP and in 1994 by the Ministry of Education. Minor repairs were done over the years but in time the school’s foundation deteriorated and the decision was taken to demolish it.

Source: http://dpi.gov.gy/education-system-is-at-its-best-point-ever-minister-manickchand-at-east-street-nursery-school-opening/

While some might be wishing that they could be given a second chance to “put their best foot forward”, there are a few others who are in celebratory mode having performed remarkably at the 2014 National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA).
More than 15,000 pupils from across the country participated in the examinations which saw 12-year-old Jorrel De Santos of the New Guyana School being declared the top performer with his 533 marks out of a possible 540.

The much anticipated results were unveiled by Minister of Education Priya Manickchand on Thursday, bringing to rest stirring anxiety among a wide cross-section of the population – mainly the pupils who participated in the assessment, their parents and teachers. The Minister’s disclosure was made at a press conference held at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD) in Kingston, Georgetown.
The NGSA was conducted over the period April 16 and 17, last, with candidates participating in the four subject areas of Mathematics, English, Science and Social Studies.

Minister Manickchand in her presentation of the results Thursday, which was mostly focused on the top one percent, appeared mostly pleased with the performance, even pointing out that Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) was the most improved, reflected by a 15 per cent improvement from last year.
While the overall results suggest that the performance in English has considerably improved, there is no denying that the area of Mathematics is still suffering.

Based on the Ministry’s statistical analysis disclosed by the Minister, the 2014 results reveal that the performance in English has improved – whereby the percentage of candidates securing 50 per cent and more has moved from 28.73 in 2013 to 51.92 in 2014. In fact the Minister disclosed that all regions showed an increase of 9.6 per cent, except Region 10 and Georgetown, both of which exhibited performances of more than 25 per cent.
Also laudable was the improvement observed in the number of boys securing 50 per cent and more in the subject area.

The Minister pointed out that “in 1994, 14 per cent of our children had passed with 50 per cent or more in English; in 2014 it is 51.92 per cent.”
But while in 1994 the Mathematics performance stood at 10.6 per cent and climbed to 31.52 per cent this year, the situation that obtains suggests that there has been a decline from last year’s performance.
“There was an overall decline in the number of candidates gaining 50 per cent and more in the subject in 2013; 43.94 per cent secured 50 per cent and more in 2013, in comparison with 31.52 per cent in 2014,” the Education Minister observed.
Moreover there is an average decline of 9.6 per cent among boys and an even more daunting decline of 11.7 per cent among girls.

The area of Science on the other hand revealed an improvement of 31.77 per cent in 2013 when compared to 43.75 per cent in 2014. This improvement, according to the Minister, translated to a more than 15 per cent increase in the boys who secured 50 per cent and more in Regions Five and 10, while girls of Regions Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, 10 and Georgetown, showed an improvement of more than 14 per cent.
In her trek along memory lane, the Minister intimated that “20 years ago 30 per cent our children had passed Science with 50 per cent or more and now it is 43 per cent of children passing.”

The fourth assessed subject area of Social Studies revealed that the overall performance of candidates securing 50 per cent and more, regionally this year, is on par with the performance of 2013, although this year showed an improved performance among girls, Manickchand said. With 1994 remaining her reflective point, Manickchand recalled that in 1994, 16 per cent passed with 50 per cent or more in Social Studies, with the pass rate mounting to 40 per cent this year.

The Education Minister went on to note that “we are particularly pleased to announce that there are a number of schools that increased by 25 per cent or more, the number of pupils who passed with 50 per cent or more.”
Among these improving schools the Minister named were: Warapoka Primary in Region One; Bethany, Sparta, Wakapoa and Jacklow Primaries in Region Two; Vive-La-Force, McGillvary, Blake, Zeelandia and Comprehensive Primaries in Region Three; Cane Grove, Enmore, Chateau Margot, Diamond, IPE Academy and Phoenix Academy Primaries in Region Four; Ithaca, Zeeland and De Hoop Primaries in Region Five; Leeds and Johanna Primaries in Region Six; Holy Name Primary in Region Seven; Kato and Kopinang Primaries in Region Eight; Moca Moca, Konashen and Parikwau Primaries in Region Nine; Kimbia Mission Academy, St Thomas and Aroaima Primaries in Region 10 and J. E. Burnham, Rama Krishna and St. Ann’s Primaries in Georgetown.

“That is a significant improvement,” said the Minister of the aforementioned schools, even as she went on to recognise other schools that had an improvement of 10 per cent and more of its pupils who passed with 50 per cent and more.
Meanwhile, the Ministry in a statement issued yesterday stated that it will not be permitting “transfers for students whose parents wish for them to move to a school which requires higher marks than was earned by the student at the NGSA.”

It was pointed out that all placements of students were made based on the performance of the students and the capacity of schools.
There may, however, be some circumstances, the Ministry statement said, that lateral transfers will be allowed. This, according to the Ministry, “means that a student may request a transfer to a school within the same mark range and listing as the school to which they were initially placed.”

However, the Ministry noted that a request for such a transfer will only be granted if the requested school has space to accommodate additional students.
Moreover, the Ministry has reminded Head Teachers that they are “duty bound to ensure that students entering their respective schools have the appropriate marks.”

Pupils of the Region One School where irregularities were detected following the April sitting of the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) will be required to re-sit the entire examination. This disclosure was made by Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, during a press conference on Thursday to announce the national 2014 NGSA results.
According to Manickchand, another examination has already been prepared for the affected pupils, that will be administered on July 2 and 3. “We had to give them reasonable time to prepare,” said the Minister.

The Ministry during the latter part of last month had opened-up about the fraudulent development, revealing that it had commenced an investigation. The ongoing investigation, according to the Minister, is being done with a view of ensuring that “we minimise the likelihood of this happening again as well as determining what really happened.”
Although Ministry officials have refused to name the school under the microscope so as to protect the affected pupils from being stigmatised, Manickchand did assure that “we will keep you updated as we get information.”
According to the Minister too “the irregularities we found would have, in our professional opinion, affected the integrity of the results of those pupils.” Moreover, it was noted that it was in the best interest of the pupils, she said, that moves were made to ensure that another exam was prepared.

The Ministry had earlier expressed concern about the situation, but asserted that the development was not one that would have impacted the general integrity or the timely release of the national results since there were no other detected instances of irregularities at the other schools.
It was even disclosed by the Ministry that efforts were being made to “actively consider various options and will make interventions where its paramount consideration will be what is in the best interest of the affected pupils.”
In recent years, the Ministry established a number of quality assurance mechanisms to ensure that examinations and their subsequent results are of the highest integrity. In fact, it was these measures the Ministry has said that allowed for the identification of the irregularities.

Meanwhile, Superintendent of Examinations, Sauda Kadir, revealed Thursday that the pupils of the Academy of Excellence, who were involved in an accident on their way to participate in the second day of the NGSA will not have to re-sit the exam.
The accident saw about four pupils of the Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara, school being hospitalised, thus they were unable to complete the second day of the official examination in April.
According to Kadir, since these students will not be required to re-sit the exam, they will instead be assessed through “other statistical methods” which will be employed to award them placement at secondary level schools.

The official release of the 2014 examination on Thursday saw Jason De Santos of the New Guyana  School being identified as the country’s top performer with his 533 score out of a possible 540.
The release of the results represent the second consecutive year that the results were made available in early June which the Ministry has attributed to the continued enhancement of the overall quality management process of the examination.

Source: https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2014/06/14/ngsa-irregularities-at-region-one-school-affected-pupils-to-sit-fresh-examination-next-month/

JORREL De Santos of New Guyana School, who secured a total of 533 marks out of the maximum 540, has emerged as the top 2014 National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) candidate. 

De Santos was followed by Aliah Mohamed from School of the Nations, who gained 531 marks and ranked second while Ravi Singh from Westfield Prep took the third spot with 530 and the fourth placed was Isaac Mallampati, also from New Guyana School whose score was 527.

The results, announced on radio and television by Education Minister Priya Manickchand indicated that Analise Samaroo, of School of the Nations, who achieved 525 marks came fifth.
Sixth placed were three candidates, namely Krystal Singh of Success Elementary, Jeremiah Bentham of Winfer Gardens Primary and Jeron Boucher of Genesis Early Childhood, who all scored 524 marks each.
Ninth place was shared between Shania De Groot of Success Elementary and Reuben Stanley of Mae’s Under-12, both of whom achieved 523 marks.

The Minister disclosed that 15,227 candidates sat the examination countrywide on April 16 and 17 last. They also wrote the National Grade Two Assessment in 2010 and the National Grade Four Assessment in 2012. A percentage of the marks gained at both the grade two and four assessments were combined with the marks earned at the Grade Six and determined the candidates’ overall scores.

Five percent of each candidate’s grade two score in Mathematics and English and 10 percent of the grade four score in the same subjects were added to 85 percent of every candidate’s score in both subjects. The combined scores in Mathematics and English were added to those gained in Science and Social Studies and, as such, the highest possible standardised scores obtainable were Mathematics 136, English 132, Social Studies 137 and Science 135.
The maximum possible total score obtainable was therefore 540. The top one percent of this year’s cohort comprises 79 males and 89 females for a total of 168 candidates in the top one percent.

The top ten students were all awarded places at Queen’s College (QC) where the minimum cut-off point was 514 marks. Bishops’ High School places were awarded to candidates who would have scored between 510 and 513 marks.
Saint Stanislaus College awardees would have had to attain between 506 and 509 marks, St. Rose’s High School qualifying marks were between 503 and 505, and those gaining in the range of 500 and 504 gained places at St. Joseph’s High School.

The Minister expressed her pride at the achievements, noting the roles of the teachers, parents and others who have contributed significantly to ensuring education of their children remains a high priority.

Source: (By Ravin Singh) http://guyanachronicle.com/2014/06/13/new-guyana-school-student-tops-ngsa-exams-this-year

 

 

 

The identity of the top performing candidate at the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) will be revealed today by Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand.

This publication has been able to ascertain that the top performing pupil attends a city primary school which will be among the schools that will be visited by the Minister following her official announcement of the results.
The results were officially handed over to the Education Minister yesterday by General Manager of the National Data Management Authority (NDMA), Mr Godfrey Proctor.

The release of the results represents the second consecutive year that the results are being released in early June.
Last year the results were unveiled on June 7 with Salma Majeed of the ISA Islamic Academy being the top performing candidate. She scored 548 points out of a possible 560.

The results this year will be announced at a press conference venued at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD), and will be transmitted live via the National Communication Network (NCN) radio and television. The presentation will also be streamed simultaneously on the Ministry’s website www.education.gov.gy.
The Ministry had earlier this year announced that the results will be available for release by the end of June, which was attributed to the continued enhancement of the overall quality management processes of the examination.
The NGSA was held on April 16 and 17, 2014, at centres across Guyana, with just over 15,000 candidates participating. They were assessed in the four subject areas of English Language, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies, each of which consisted of two papers.

And although the analysis of the results revealed that there were irregularities detected in Region One, the Ministry in a statement had assured that the integrity of the results would not be compromised.
Although an investigation had commenced by the Ministry in this regard more than a week ago, there has since been no forthcoming report on the matter as of yesterday. However, the Ministry had said that it is committed to making public its findings at the end of its investigation.

In recent years, the Ministry of Education has established a number of quality assurance mechanisms to ensure that examinations and their subsequent results are of the highest integrity. In fact, it was these measures that allowed for the identification of the irregularities, the Ministry had boasted.

Source: https://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2014/06/12/ngsa-results-set-for-official-release-today/