Teachers are concerned that the dates announced for the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) are too early, in light of the still existing threat of COVID-19.
The Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) said it objected to the dates for the NGSA, as well as CSEC and CAPE.
“It created a bit of panic among teachers,” GTU President Mark Lyte told INews.
“Our concern is the state Guyana is in in relation to us having positive cases being identified almost on a daily basis … that is a cause for concern because here we are asking primary school age children to come out to get whatever prepping they need for July 1 and 2,” Lyte explained.
Grade Six students who will be writing NGSA this year will be expected to return to school from June 15 in order to prepare for the upcoming exams.
Schools in Guyana have been closed since March 16 – due to COVID-19. While private schools have been facilitating online learning, majority of the students in the public school sector were unable to benefit from such due to a number of issues including unreliable internet connection.
Though it is assured that strict social distancing guidelines will be employed, the early timeline is still a matter of concern for educators.
The GTU believes the Grade Six exams should be postponed until October.
The Union will be meeting on Friday where these issues will be discussed and a subsequent statement released to the press.
After months of delay as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NGSA will finally be conducted on July 1 and 2.
NGSA, popularly known as “common entrance”, was initially scheduled to be written on April 8 and 9.
Some 14,730 students are currently registered to write the NGSA at both public and private schools.
