Latest update January 6th, 2025 4:00 AM
Over 2000 Region Four pupils to write NGSA this year -invigilators, supervisors undergo one-day training
Assistant Superintendent of Examinations, Ms Dawn Griffith
A total of 2,875 students from East Bank and East Coast Demerara will be sitting the National Graded Six Assessment [NGSA] over two days from March 28, 2018.
Even as the Regional Education Department of Region Four prepares for the annual exams along with a plethora of local and regional examinations, a one-day intensive training for invigilators and supervisors was held. The supervisors and invigilators would be responsible for administering the national assessment. The one-day training was held at the Bladen Hall Multilateral School auditorium and saw some 208 persons attending.
The training was geared at ensuring that invigilators and their supervisors are effectively prepared to execute a number of exams. The 208 participants are expected to work throughout the 49 centres within Region Four.
Region Four Education Officer, Ms. Stembiso Grant, gave an insight into the training seminar noting that it is pivotally important in ensuring that her department maintains the exceptional high and credible quality of the exams. She also hailed the performance and years of service provided by Ms Shafiran Persaud whose contributions to ensuring that the quality and integrity of the exams remained unchallenged over the years.
According to Grant, of the 2,875 students, 1,304 are for the East Bank and the remaining 1,571 for the East Coast.
“This training is geared towards educating supervisors and invigilators as to the expectations of them during the execution of a number of exams. This is in relation to the conduct and credibility of the exams,” she said.
Stressing on what she dubbed as pivotally important qualities of both supervisors and invigilators, Grant said that the training dealt with a number of issues. She reiterated that her department will continue to ensure that the integrity of the exams is not questioned. “In Region Four, we expect our examinations to be conducted as per regulations. The supervisors and invigilators are expected to be committed, they are expected to be confidential 
so the training today will remind them about their roles and responsibilities,” she reiterated.
The Education Officer noted that her department intends to have all exams by her department executed in a smooth manner. She recalled that in the many years of holding the exams, there have only ever been one incident — an envelope being opened before its time. This, she said, was as a result of an error by the supervisor. The supervisor was subsequently removed.
Grant declared that the region cannot ill-afford any recurrences of such situations, thus declaring the need to maintain and set high standards.
“It’s important for everyone to know that with these exams, we do not have room for mistakes. Therefore, everything must be done to a very high standard, so once they slip up, we remove them and they are aware of that, that they would not be able to work again in the future,” she declared.
While acknowledging that the training catered for a large number of participants, Grant noted that this is a critically important aspect within the region and as such, equal emphasis will be placed upon it.
She added, “In Region Four, we have 43 centres as some of our schools will be merged into being used as centres and this training will cater primarily for the National Grade Six exams that are expected to be rolled out shortly.”
Commenting on the NGSA, she disclosed that the numbers will be significantly lower. “We only have 17 secondary schools and 10 primary tops, the situation is that several of the primary tops are not going to be involved in the exam,” Grant noted.
The training seminar was facilitated by Ms Dawn Griffith and Flora Cumberbatch, Assistant Superintendent of Examinations.
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
Jagdeo is a liability to Irfaan Ali
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News- Bharrat Jagdeo has long represented an unsettling paradox in Guyana’s politics. He... more
Forget Begging Rich Nations: Caribbean Countries Should Act to Save Themselves
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- It has long been evident that the world’s richest nations, especially those responsible... more
Weekend Cartoon
