Citing overcrowding at schools and the severe financial pressures of implementing changes to make them safer, the Region Ten Regional Health and Emergency Committee (RHEC) is asking the Education Ministry to further delay the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA).
The request to delay the NGSA exams, slated for July 1 and July 2, has come as schools across the country were reopened on Monday for examination-level students to begin revision sessions with their teachers. In a letter sent to the Ministry of Education, head of the region’s RHEC Orrin Gordon said that while it stands with the Education Ministry in addressing the increased and unfolding challenges it is tackling at this time, it is the committee’s belief that the exams should be delayed due to serious overcrowding at most of the facilities in Region Ten.
The letter, seen by Stabroek News, stated that overcrowding at schools within the region is a major factor that the ministry should consider as a reason for delaying the exam. The letter noted that prior to the COVID-19 outbreak in Guyana, the overcrowding was an issue which the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) was seeking to address. Gordon cited the One Mile Primary, where more than 800 students are enrolled despite a serious space limitation. The letter said, “It must be noted that with NGSA expected to be written on July 1 and 2 and fifteen students to a classroom, a large number of classrooms will be utilized.” Added to that, he said that from the 27 centres that will be used for the NGSA exams, nine of those centres have serious overcrowding issues.
