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Blackout during CSEC prompts Education Ministry inquiry

May 14, 2011 News

In light of recent electrical difficulties at the Covent Garden Secondary School last week during the sitting of the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Electronic Documentation Preparation and Management (EDPM), the Ministry of Education has launched an inquiry.
This is according to Minister of Education, Shaik Baksh, who said that the Superintendent of Examination has been mandated to spearhead that undertaking.
The intent, the Minister said, is to determine whether a power outage had impacted the sitting of the examination. According to Baksh he is awaiting a report into the matter.
“I haven’t received the report as yet but I expect that it will tell me whether it (power outage) is really impacting.”
The power outage, according to reports reaching this newspaper had caused the hosting of the examination to be fraught with some degree of anxiety when the service offered by the Guyana Power and Light Incorporated was interrupted on the East Bank of Demerara.
The subject, EDPM requires the use of a computer, hence the disruption of electricity was a challenge.
Reports were that some students had turned up for the examination around 08:00 hours last week Tuesday but did not leave until some time in the evening. It was disclosed that the 100-odd students who were listed to write the subject were divided into two groups some of whom were scheduled to start at 09:35 hours and conclude around 11:35 hours.
However by the time the initial group was slated to complete the task at hand the power outage had occurred. This development, in essence, prevented the examiners from printing the very crucial work ahead of allowing the second group to commence the examination.
According to one parent, her daughter had not even eaten breakfast before leaving home and was forced to remain in the classroom for several hours pending the completion of the exam due to the situation.
A teacher said that there was nothing that could have been done as the examiners were in charge and could not have permitted anything further to be done until the power supply was restored.
This, however, did not happen until some time after 15:00 hours by which time efforts were being made by teachers to solicit support from members of the community to borrow a generator.
But despite the electrical challenges Minister Baksh has assured that security has not been an issue at any point in time. “We have always had strong security from the time it leaves Barbados to the time it gets to the examination room. We have very strong security measures in place that is reviewed every year with the Caribbean Examination Council body.”
According to the Minister CXC would usually send its own personnel to oversee the system of operation and “I have strong confidence in the integrity of the process.”
Last week Tuesday marked the third day since the commencement of the CSEC examination which is set to end on June 10.
According to the Caribbean Examination Council, the results of the examination is likely to be made available to the Overseas Examination Commission (Jamaica) and local Ministries of Education around the Region by August 17 and will subsequently be delivered to candidates.

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