SEA DATE STAYS

GOT HIS WAY: Minister of Education Anthony Garcia got his way when a meeting of stakeholders on Tuesday agreed to keep August 20 as the date for the SEA exam.  -
GOT HIS WAY: Minister of Education Anthony Garcia got his way when a meeting of stakeholders on Tuesday agreed to keep August 20 as the date for the SEA exam. -

NOTWITHSTANDING the public unease due to the recent rise in the number of covid19 infections including a primary school student, education stakeholders agreed on Tuesday that the Education Ministry’s August 20 date for the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) exam will remain.

Among the latest confirmed cases were two who have had close contact with a student of the Maraval RC Primary and another from the Tacarigua Presbyterian Primary schools, both of which remain closed. (See story below)

In a statement on Tuesday which followed the virtual meeting of stakeholders, the ministry said the August 20 date is “in the best interest of students.” The ministry added that all education stakeholders supported its decision.

Moving the date forward would have led to logistical challenges including the limited time frame to request deferrals from the National Security Ministry for CXC invigilators and the requisite mandatory quarantine period.

Regarding continuation of classes, some stakeholders raised concern for students’ health and safety, while others advocated for primary schools to remain open to mitigate any further physiological impact on students who have already seen the exam pushed from its original April 2 date.

In the two-hour meeting, there wasn’t a unanimous vote on the continuation of classes, as the country is grappling with a surge in infections. Newsday was told that some stakeholders called on the ministry to allow students to continue their exam preparations via online classes to reduce the possibility of spread of the virus.

But the ministry saw it best not to make any premature decision and it was agreed that the ministry will, for the rest of this week, monitor the situation and decide next week on the status of schools remaining open to host classes for Standard 5 students.

The ministry said it was “committed to providing an environment that is safe for learning and teaching” and that all schools continue to observe the Ministry of Health’s protocols for covid19 mitigation.

The exams were initially scheduled for April 2 but after a spike in cases which followed the first recorded infection on March 12, government imposed restrictions on public gatherings, businesses and government agencies.

National Primary Schools Principals Association president Lance Mottley said most principals voted to keep the exams on August 20. “We don’t need to be scared. If more schools are affected, then we will look at our position. It’s not as widespread where we need to change our position.

“But we called on the ministry to launch a campaign for parents to ensure their children are medically clear or can recognise covid19 symptoms. They should know if anyone at home has the virus; parents have to be responsible and keep that child home.”

TT Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) president Antonia DeFreitas told Newsday the association strongly recommended that students be sent home as they prepare for the examinations. “TTUTA’s decision is we wanted to preserve equity; we wanted to minimise the risk to health, so we proposed an earlier date. So the State has to do to ensure the safety of all people if they continue in this way.”

DeFreitas said an official TTUTA statement would be issued to the media but up to 7 pm on Tuesday, the release was not sent. Shamila Raheem, public relations officer of the National Council for Parent/Teachers Association said the association is gravely concerned about students’ health and safety leading up the exam.

She said there has been a meagre turnout of students in the last two days and when the issues were raised with Education Minister Anthony Garcia at the virtual meeting on Tuesday, he claimed being unaware of the poor student turnout.

“We don’t agree with the continuation of classes. The children are put at risk every day, especially with the closure of two schools. How many more have to be closed until we make a decision? We know it’s not as easy to bring the exams forward but we wanted the children to stay at home and just go out and write the exams,” Raheem said.

The virtual meeting included representatives from TTUTA, the National Primary Schools Principals Association, the National Parent Teacher Association, and the Association of Denominational Boards.

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