All schools, including private schools which prepare adults for CSEC, were closed on March 13. This meant that teachers lost at least 9 weeks in preparing CSEC students for examinations in May/June. Students have not been able to attend classes to finish the syllabus for their subjects.
The Ministry of Education has announced that exams would be held, beginning on the week of July 13. Students have been given roughly six weeks to finish the syllabus and prepare to write exams. The only good thing is that no Paper II would be required, only a Multiple Choice and Paper III.
The Ministry of Education has, however, agreed that teachers from Secondary Schools would be allowed to return to schools from June 7 to assist students in the completion of their SBA’s. No consideration was given to teachers from private schools who conduct evening classes for private candidates, to assist their adult students in completing the syllabus and preparing for the multiple choice and the Paper III exams.
The MoE has a legal and moral right to grant equal time to private candidates at these private schools to properly prepare for the exams in July, just as they are doing for the school students for June 7.
Private schools should be allowed to open on June 7 to prepare their students for the CSEC exams that start July 13. Private candidates were forced to stay home and were therefore not allowed to return to classes after March 13, through no fault of their own.
Most private schools and their students definitely did not complete the syllabus for the various subjects. Adults desirous of improving their education should not be discriminated against. What is good for the secondary school CSEC student is also good for the adults private candidates. I believe the prime minister was not made aware that private schools and their adult private candidates need to be allowed to return to classes in order to properly prepare for the exams.
No mention was made for them in either of the phases for reopening. Adults have spent good money and sacrificed many hours in attending classes after having registered for the CSEC examinations with the Ministry of Education. This would be all in vain now.
Private schools should be allowed to resume classes on June 7, just like the rest of the CSEC preparation institutes.
Desks should be properly spaced in classes, one student per desk. Masks should be worn by all students.
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