Students affected by COVID, Hurricane Elsa allowed to sit alternative examination

Class 4 students whose preparations for the upcoming Common Entrance Examination are adversely affected by COVID-19 will be given as long as an additional month to get ready.

Additionally, some students who were adversely affected by Hurricane Elsa’s passing on July 2, have also been given a grace period by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC).

Acting Deputy Chief Education Officer for Schools, Glyne Price, said those students not properly prepared for the July 28 exam, commonly referred to as the 11-Plus, would be allowed to take an alternative exam between July 28 and September 1.

The news comes just one day after 27 Class 4 students at the St Jude’s Primary School were quarantined after two students tested positive for COVID-19.

Price said even though a decision had been made not to change the date of the Common Entrance, ministry officials believed it was necessary for affected students to be treated fairly.

“There are a number of children at the St Jude’s Primary School who are currently in quarantine, Class 4 students. Now clearly those students may very well be affected in terms of their preparation for the 28th. So what we have decided is that not only the students from St Judes, but any Class 4 child who is scheduled to write the exam on July 28th and for whatever reason they are in quarantine, whether they have just been released from quarantine and if the parents in their opinion feel that the child has suffered trauma and is not mentally ready to write this examination, we will make arrangements for the child or the children to write an alternative exam in the future,” Price said during a press conference at the Ministry of Education this morning.

“When I say the future, somewhere between July 28 and September 1.”

Price said the ministry had already received 120 requests for persons to defer writing exams until a later date, while there had been 12 requests for children to write the examination early.

He said while there was usually a set criteria for allowing children to sit the 11-Plus exam early, the ministry was considering relaxing those requirements.

“In previous years we had a very rigid criteria for writing the examination early and that basic criteria was that a student had to score 85 per cent or above in six terms preceding the exam. This year because there have been serious challenges for some students, we had device issues, we had connectivity issues, then we had the loss of electricity, initially when we were doing our review we had stuck to that criteria.

“But on reflection we are reviewing that process and hopefully by today schools will be notified if there are any changes to those students who have made requests to write the examination early,” Price said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Education Officer with responsibility for planning and the CXC local registrar, Dr Roderick Rudder, said CXC had granted special hardship considerations to some students.

He said while some students were given alternative dates to take their exams, others would benefit from the hardship policy.

“Following the passage of Hurricane Elsa the Ministry of Education approached the CXC to request special hardship considerations for those candidates who were so affected by the passage of the hurricane.

“We’ve subsequently received confirmation from the CXC that those candidates who were affected and unable to write examinations on that day will be accommodated,” Dr Rudder said.

He revealed that 1473 persons who were unable to write their English Literature exams will be allowed to do so on August 12 at 1 p.m. along with students from St Vincent and the Grenadines.

For those who missed the CAPE computer science Unit II Paper 1 and French Unit II Paper 2, they will now write it on August 20.

However, he said there were five subjects at the CAPE level in which there would be no alternatives. These are Chemistry Unit 1, Accounting Unit II Paper 2, Building and Mechanical Engineering Drawing Unit 1 Paper 2, Geography Unit 1 Paper 2 and Performing Arts Unit 1, Paper 1.

“Those candidates will benefit from the application of CXC’s hardship policy with regard to the assessment and award of grades,” Dr Rudder said.

He disclosed that 10 students in quarantine were allowed to complete their CXC exams via etesting as well as paper-based tests.

Dr Rudder said all protocols were followed in the administering of those exams.
(randybennett@barbadostoday.bb)