Go and relax now

UPDATE:

MARLENE AUGUSTINE and KINNESHA GEORGE

AFTER reporting that the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) exam went off without a hitch at primary schools across the nation yesterday, TT Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) head Lynsley Doodhai said SEA students deserved a break after months of intense studies.

“The exam is over. Over the next three months, I would want SEA students to relax,” Doodhai said as he also commended the Ministry of Education for having all systems in place to accommodate both teachers and students during the exam.

“I will like to advise the students to make sure they relax now that the examination is over because when school resumes in September, it will be pace in Secondary school. Relax and enjoy life because I know they would have missed out on many aspects of socialising due to their preparation for the SEA, what with extra lessons and studying on weekends. Go out and enjoy this aspect of your childhood,” Doodhai said.

Education Minister Anthony Garcia reported two unrelated incidents which occurred during the exam but which did not affect the course of the tests. “There were two incidents which took place during the SEA exam. A school supervisor in Rio Claro suffered a medical emergency and had to be replaced by another supervisor and secondly, there was a fire at the home of a student who lives at Quarry Street, Port of Spain.

That student who attends St Hilda’s Government Primary was not interrupted during the exam,” Garcia said adding that the student will receive counselling.

At MovieTowne yesterday, small groups of children from schools from West and East environs gathered in long lines to purchase tickets to see Marvel Studios Avengers Infinity Wars. Most of the students told Newsday the examination was good despite tricky questions in the Language Arts paper and in section three of the Mathematics papers.

Arianne Oliverre, 12, who attends St Theresa Girls RC school said she was happy to now have time to play with her friends and watch television. “I am glad this part is over. I can now have some fun with my friends until I start back studying for secondary school. The Language Arts section was okay but I had some difficulties in the Mathematics paper especially in section three. I am praying I did well enough to qualify for Bishop,” she said.

HAPPY SIGHS IN TOBAGO

In Tobago, anxious parents stood outside various examination centres waiting for the exam to end so they could embrace their young ones.

A total of 943 pupils wrote the exam — 477 boys and 466 were girls. At Signal Hill Government Primary, students expressed relief on completing the four-hour long exam which ended the Primary School chapter of their academic lives. The exam began at 9 am simultaneously across the island and students wrote the Mathematics paper followed by Language Arts and then the creative writing component.

Student Rene Angel George told Newsday, “I am relieved the exam is finished. The math paper was easy, but the English paper was a different story,” George said. Questioned about which school she wants to pass for, George said: “It really doesn’t matter, at the end of the day it’s just a school. It really depends on how I apply myself at whichever school I am placed in.” Another Sophia Ollivere described the examination was ‘good and very easy’.

“At this point I am glad that this is finally over. I gave up a lot for this day and I just have to wait to see what my results will be,” she said. A parent expressed relief. “My daughter worked really hard coming up to this day and I am really relieved all this stress is over and done with…well at least for now,” the parent said. A teacher at the school, who asked to remain anonymous, said the exam went smoothly.

ORIGINAL:

President of the TT Unified Teachers Association (TTUTA) Lynsley Doodhai encouraged students who wrote the 2018 Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) examination to relax over the next two to three months.

Doodhai said based on feedback from teachers, there were no complications reported in today’s exam.

He commended the ministry of education for having all that was needed for the examination in place to accommodate both the teachers and students.

“I will like to advise the students to make sure they relax now that the examination is over because when school resumes in September and they go off to their secondary schools, that life can be tough with the amount of work they will have to do."