President of the Barbados National Council of Parent Teacher Associations (BNCPTA), Shone Gibbs, supports the proposed change in date for the upcoming Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination (BSSEE).
Acting Chief Education Officer, Joy Adamson, in correspondence to the Barbados Union of Teachers (BUT) and the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union (BSTU), proposed that the BSSEE be sat by Class 4s on July 20 rather than on June 22 – which is the slated date for the exam. That date was announced by the Minister of Education during a press conference in December last year.
Gibbs told The Barbados Advocate yesterday that “without a shadow of doubt, the current COVID situation, along with the challenges faced by some families in relation to online schooling, warrants the extension of time being considered”.
He added, “What is pertinent, however, is what are the takeaways or lessons learnt from the 2020 and 2021 experiences in relation to preparation for this and other examinations that we will draw on to make well-informed decisions for the future.”
In an article carried by this paper in February, President of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) of the Lawrence T. Gay Memorial Primary School, Steffanie Williams, said one of the suggestions being made was for the June 22 date for this year’s BSSEE be pushed back.
Williams also shared then that parents were additionally putting on the table the options of students repeating or a total cancellation of the exam. She said a later date would give Class 4s additional time to complete the syllabus. Also, it should be changed in light of the difficulties some Class 4s have been having with learning through online classes for this academic year.