Linvern Wright, President of the Jamaica Association of Principals of Secondary Schools
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Owen Speid, President of the Jamaica Teachers' Association - Gleaner file photo
Karl Samuda, Minister with responsibility for Education
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Linvern Wright; Owen Speid; teacher and parent Christine Pratt; and Minister Karl Samuda
President of the Jamaica Association of Principals of Secondary Schools, Linvern Wright, has expressed support for the participation of Jamaican students in the CXC exams in July.
The Jamaican Government on Monday announced that students will do the tests starting July 27 and continuing into August.
Results are expected in September.
Initially, Jamaica had expressed reservations about participating in the exams because of the July schedule.
Mr. Wright said his support is based on the diminishing threat of the spread of the coronavirus.
"What was big in our discussions was that once the public health officials considered it safe and it's not too high a risk in relation to what it would have been when it was worse than this, then we should go ahead," he explained.
He added that consideration was also given to the fact that the exams are necessary for students who desire to matriculate to university and the uncertainty surrounding the exam date was causing students to become anxious.
Mr. Wright believes teachers can have students ready in time for the exams if students return to classes in June.
He said the only factor of concern now is the psychological impact the pandemic would have had on the students. For this, he recommended that guidance counsellors and social workers be put in place to assist students when they return to classroom learning.
Working towards the date
In the meantime, Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA) President Owen Speid said the JTA will encourage its members to work towards the date announced.
He said, while he is satisfied with the extended time for the CXC exams, the lingering concern of readiness remains as "all schools don't operate on the same level, some children learn at slower pace," so they will not be as ready as schools with "brighter" children.
Prepared?
A teacher, Christine Pratt, who is also a mother of a CSEC candidate, has said the results of the exams will show how prepared the students were, mentally, for the exams.
She believes that pulling the students back into the system to prepare for the exams will bring added stress as they consider their health, finishing SBAs as well as the exam itself.
Mrs Pratt said this is her greatest concern, as not all students will be ready, due to several factors, including the logistics put in place by the government to accommodate them for exams.
She was speaking Monday on TVJ's Smile Jamaica.
Measures will be in place
Students writing CXC exams will be returning to school in the second week of June to prepare.
Karl Samuda, Minister with responsibility for Education, has said the appropriate physical distancing measures will be in place.
Mr. Samuda said, where necessary, transportation will be provided.
"We are prepared to subsidise the transportation for the students, especially those who are going to be coming in to write the exams, and going forward, we will look at the whole question of providing transportation for students who find it very difficult to traverse the areas from which they come, and who, without COVID, it's very difficult for them," he said at a press conference at Jamaica House on Monday.
Meanwhile, primary and other secondary level students could also be returning to classrooms before September.
Mr. Samuda said, while the students are going on summer break, "it is our hope that we'll be able to get them into schools before the official September opening." He said the plan will be reviewed during the course of summer.
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