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Changes to NGSA will not affect structure and format – Education Ministry
– Learning Channel to air familarising programme
Set for April 27 and 28, 2016, the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) is expected to cater to approximately 14,500 candidates. But according to information disseminated by the Ministry of Education yesterday, while there will be some changes to this assessment, these will only be related to the question paper and answer sheets, and not the structure or format of the questions on the question paper.
According to the Ministry too, the Guyana Learning Channel is expected to broadcast a special programme to further familiarise pupils with the layout. The Ministry also disclosed that specimen papers were prepared and distributed, prior to the commencement of the new term, to all Regions to familiarise pupils.
In fact, it was revealed, that the timetable for the assessment this month end has already been dispatched to all schools and the Ministry is appealing to parents to take note of this.
The Ministry’s disclosure followed a statement issued by former Minister of Education under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Government, Ms. Priya Manickchand.
Manickchand in her statement disclosed that “it has come to my attention that the Ministry of Education in Guyana intends to change the manner in which the National Grade Six Assessment, or a part thereof, is going to be written and marked.” She considered that this change will begin and occur at the 2016 exams, which are scheduled to be written on the 27 and 28 April 2016, just three short weeks away.
But according to her, “up to today’s date (Tuesday when the statement was issued) the Government has failed, refused and/or neglected to inform all the relevant students, parents and teachers about these changes that are to be made.”
She, moreover, emphatically questioned, “What precisely are the changes? Are our young children going to learn about these changes when they enter the examination room? Can they be expected to do their best in these conditions?”
According to the former Minister too, “This type of lazy, contemptuous governance is what the nation is coming to expect of this incompetent government. In this instance, however, this is not acceptable, as it can severely, adversely affect the lives of our most valuable resource, our children.”
She speculated too that the proposed changes are in fact the ones that the PPP/C government had begun to put in place and had publicly spoken of. But, according to her, these changes were never meant to be a secret, hidden from the children, their teachers and parents and sprung upon them as a surprise.
“We call on the Government immediately to fully disclose what the changes will be, when they are intended to take effect and for immediate and public, widespread instructions and information as to how a student may best comply with these changes by publishing samples, infomercials etc, so that our children can be assessed for what they actually know and not for how quickly they can adjust to secretive, even if well intentioned, changes.”
Minister of Education, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, at the unveiling of the 2015 NGSA results disclosed that his Ministry is poised to build on the gains that have been made in the past. “Over the next two years we are going to ensure that the Ministry of Education sets the standard in Guyana,” he said.
In fact it was the fervent hope of Dr. Roopnaraine even then that “other Ministries must look at the Ministry of Education and come and ask us what you are really doing? How did you manage to do what you are doing? That’s what we want,” said the optimistic Education Minister.
According to him, he was geared to do a full assessment of the system and disclosed that there are going to be some changes.
“What works we will continue to do, what needs fixing we will fix, what has not worked at all we will abandon,” said the Minister. He asserted then too that things will not be changed for “changing sake” but rather “what can be anticipated is the continuity of best practices.”
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