No word on the postponement of SEA

WHILE the country government of TT has called for the closure of schools to deal with the spread of the corona virus, teachers are concerned about the reduction on preparation time for the upcoming examinations for both primary and secondary school. This according to the president of the TT Unified Teachers' Association (TTUTA), Antonia De Freitas. “There are no words from the Education Ministry regarding the postponement of Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) or all secondary school exams.”

De Freitas is hoping that Education Minister, Anthony Garcia addresses this issue within quick time so as to ease the tension among the thousands of students and teachers in TT who have been preparing for the 2020 examinations. “Secondary schools are deeply concerned about deadlines for various aspects of CSEC and CAPE subjects,” she said. They would also like to know, she said, whether the Education Ministry will be engaging CXC on these matters, in light of schools' closures.

Asked whether online classes can be implemented for students who are into exams for 2020. De Freitas answered, “At the primary level, online learning is not a major aspect of curriculum delivery. Primary teachers are therefore concerned. In both instances, the conduct of end of term exams and marking of these will have be properly discussed.” Online learning platforms, she said, may work in some secondary schools where such systems already exist.

De Freitas said teachers believe that both the Education Ministry and the Health Ministry should utilise standardised approaches to sanitise schools during this period

While Garcia did not address the issue of the postponement of exams, a release from his ministry states that they are aware of private schools in TT that are breaking the rules and continuing classes on Monday.

In the release Garcia urged principals to reconsider opening schools and to heed the call of PM Dr Keith Rowley to close all schools and universities for one week. Garcia stated, “These measures have been instituted to safeguard our population from the risk of contracting COVID-19. Principals must recognise that they have the ultimate responsibility of acting in the best interest of all students and stakeholders.”

The release also stated that the Education Ministry has boosted the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure and resources are available to all schools. The ministry encourages principals, parents and stakeholders to take advantage of these assets provided, to effectively manage individual situations.