School groups lobby to scrap drama practicals

THE Secondary Schools Drama Association and the Secondary Schools Principals Association have joined forces to lobby the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) to scrap the practical component required for drama students writing Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).

“We are standing with the teachers and students in voicing our dismay of the CXC treatment of the CAPE Unit 2 performing arts practicals,” the association’s second vice president Naomi Adonis-Woodsley told the Newsday on Wednesday.

Support has also come from the head of the Association of Secondary School Principals Ronald Mootoo who said it is an impractical situation.

Adonis-Woodsley said if the CXC policy-makers are talking about equity and fairness then just as they scrapped the production exams for Form Five students doing theatre arts, they would have to apply that across the board and do a similar thing for the CAPE students and adjust their marks that are already in the system.

A teacher at Naparima Girls’ High School, Adonis-Woodsley noted that the syllabus requirement for any practical is six weeks, but the students would have gotten four weeks to prepare. She said this has created a lot of uncertainty for students because they were told to do a short piece of work, without any definitive statement on how short or how the marks would be adjusted.

She said students were also constrained because it is group work and they cannot meet because of the covid19 restrictions.

“They are being told to use technology, but we have had no training in using that technology. Some students don’t have the technology and other students don’t even have devices or even electricity.

“The argument is really that CXC is quite unreasonable to expect that teachers and students could work and create anything credible or creditable within that period.”

Recently the National Drama Association of TT (NDATT) joined with drama teachers across the Caribbean who are up in arms about the decision by the CXC to require drama students to do the CAPE practical examination.

NDATT also noted that during the time students are being asked to do a six weeks of face-to-face theatre rehearsal, they will also be studying for and sitting other written examinations.

The organisation described the situation as impractical to have students prepare for drama practicals during their written exams, plus the support systems for the events would not be present as schools remain closed, as normally other students and teachers would assist with the productions.

Mootoo said he is aware that the matter has been referred to the CXC which is considering the objections.

“No decision has been made. Our Ministry of Education is involved in this decision making process. It has communicated with the local CXC registrar and the registrar has indicated on more than one occasion that when there is need to make adjustments, the CXC is always ready and capable of making those adjustments.

“Nothing is ever 100 per cent fool-proof, but I certainly think a reasonable decision will be arrived at because it is really exacting and to a certain extent, impractical.”