More than 2,000 parents and guardians of students scheduled to write the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) were yesterday engaged by the Minister of Education Priya Manickchand to express their views and concerns regarding the sitting of this examination.
The consultation was done in two virtual meetings. The first started at 10am with parents and guardians from regions One, Two, Three, Four, and Five, while the second meeting commenced at 1pm and was joined by parents and guardians from regions Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, and Ten.
According to a Ministry of Education (MoE) release, Manickchand briefed the parents on some of the options being weighed and suggested by teachers and primary head teachers. These options include having students write the full examination on content right up to Grade Six or full examination but on content up to Grade Five. The meeting has also discussed having students write the exam but with reduced questions or use projects instead of the exam. Parents were encouraged to pitch their ideas and many of them agreed that writing on content up to Grade Five would be a better choice.
Susan Jervis, a parent out of Region Six, said she believes it is fair for an assessment up to Grade Five content because face to face teaching concluded during that period. She did not agree with using projects because she feels it does truly reflect the children’s work. Wemis LaRose-Duke said that having students placed at catchment schools, one of the options, is not fair because some children will be placed below their grade average. Osaze Williams, also from Region Six, asked for the grades from the Grade Two and Four assessments to be included and suggested that it could be 20 per cent of the final grade. He too, did not agree with the idea of using projects. Colleen Luther, of Region Ten, agreed with Williams. However, Nickesha Ross-Long did not agree with this and said that some students have improved since writing those assessments and should not be limited to that. Babita Ram asked for schools to be opened a month prior for children to focus on main subjects.
Manickchand said that any announcement will be subject to the advice of the Ministry of Health (MoH), World Health Organization, and other health authorities. She assured that the ministry is not going to sit back and give up. She said it is not an option and that it is the ministry’s responsibility to make a decision in the best interest of the children of the country. Parents were assured by the minister that the ministry is working in their best interests. She acknowledged that while there are challenges, and many different things have been done to engage with students, the Ministry is aware that none of the options can replace the classroom.
Additionally, Manickchand assured that when a decision is made the nation will be informed in a manner that places everyone on a level playing field. The Chief Education Officer, Dr Marcel Hutson, said that although no concrete decision has been made, the Ministry will be moving forward with three main watch words – safety, equity, and quality. He added that the MoE will be working closely with the MoH and that the exam will not be set in such a way that disadvantages students. Dr Hutson also noted that while there are options to change the structure of the assessment, any decision made will not make the result substandard. Meanwhile, the Assistant CEO, Ameer Ali, informed that there will be an evaluation of where the children are in terms of content covered.
The MoE will be meeting with the Guyana Teachers’ Union next week to discuss the format the NGSA will take.