[UPDATE] Children, parents to collect SEA results in person in schools

NOTWITHSTANDING covid19 restrictions which have seen schools closed for months, students have been told they can go to their schools on Thursday to collect their Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) exam results.
Responding to Newsday via WhatsApp, Minister of Education Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said on Tuesday that the results will be distributed at all primary schools, with all safety protocols being strictly observed.
Children sat the SEA exam on August 20 after it was postponed from the original April 2 date because of the pandemic. The ministry, in a release on Tuesday afternoon, said it had provided schools with guidelines for the safe collection of results.
SEA results will be sent to respective district offices from the ministry on St Vincent Street, Port of Spain on Thursday morning,  where principals will be able to collect them for distribution at their respective schools.
Principals will arrange specific periods, the release said, for collection of results from 10 am. Parents and/or guardians are asked where possible, to adhere to the schedule given by principals.
It said parents and guardians will also receive SEA information booklets along with the students' placement slip and performance report. “This booklet contains frequently asked questions about transfers, querying results, interpreting the student performance report among other concerns.”
The release also said congregating on or outside the school grounds will not be allowed. Only one parent/guardian will be permitted onto the school compound with the child to collect results, and then they must leave immediately. Opening of results or discussion of results on the school grounds is not permitted, the release said.
Gadsby-Dolly said parents were given the option of whether they wanted their child’s name and results published.
The registration date for each secondary school will be indicated on the placement slip and performance report.
“Schools will facilitate registration using a mixed method of online and walk-ins.”  The release said 22 schools will use online registration only, 44 will facilitate walk-ins, and 89 will use both.
Principal of Gandhi Memorial Vedic Primary School in Aranguez Keshmani Dhaniram-Gosine said the school is ready to receive the 72 students who sat the exam in the school in August.
When Newsday contacted her on Tuesday, she said she was still awaiting directives from the ministry, but she had heard from other schools that only students will be allowed onto the school grounds to receive results, as was the case for the exam. She said all students will be temperature-tested and must wear their masks and sanitise their hands before they collect their results.

The above is an updated version of a story published online yesterday. This is the original version:

The much-anticipated results of the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) will be given out physically in schools.

Responding to Newsday via WhatsApp, Minister of Education Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said on Tuesday that the results, to be released on October 8, will be distributed with all safety protocols being observed.

She said parents were given the option of whether they wanted their child’s names and results published.

“The results, for those who indicated that they did not want their results published, will not be,” said Gadsby-Dolly.

Children sat the SEA exam on August 20 after it was postponed from the original date of April 2 owing to the covid19 pandemic.

Principal of Gandhi Memorial Vedic Primary School in Aranguez Keshmani Dhaniram-Gosine said the school is ready to receive the 72 students who sat the exam in the school in August.

She said she is still awaiting directives from the ministry, but she had heard from other schools that only students will be allowed into the school grounds to receive results, as was the case for the exam.

She said the distribution will be managed using the same Ministry of Health guidelines followed on the day of the exam.

“What we have done, starting today, we have started sanitising again and we will be following the guidelines that we followed on the day of exams, where the children alone will be allowed entry, unless otherwise stated by the ministry.”

She said the exact seating arrangements put in place for the exam will be used and all students will be temperature-tested and must wear their masks and sanitise their hands on entry.