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CXC ‘side-steps’ key questions
--says satisfied with its 2020 services, will only respond to official queries from Ministries of Education across the Caribbean
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By Tamica Garnett
REGISTRAR and CEO of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), Dr. Wayne Wesley, has effectively absolved the governing body of any wrongdoing, by declaring that it is satisfied with the level of service provided to students, even in the face of widespread backlash from stakeholders all across the region.
He did so during a virtual press conference held on Friday to address the Caribbean-wide situation, whereby students who wrote the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations this year are reporting unusual grades. He ‘side-stepped’ questions on the weighting and scoring method utilized by the Council to grade its modified 2020 examinations.
Addressing the issue from the CXC’s perspective during the press conference, Dr. Wesley said that, notwithstanding the modifications, the examination would have undergone to accommodate the fallout from COVID-19 by removing certain components of it, the grading system remained the same as in previous years.
He would, however, give no clear answers on how the
LINDENERS, on Friday, joined the rest of Guyana in observing Childcare and Protection Week 2020, under the theme, ‘Protecting Children and Empowering Families to cope with the Global Pandemic’, with a parade and impressive ‘street theatre’.
The parade, which was steered by the Linden Constabulary Orchestra, began on Republic Avenue, Linden and concluded at the Washer Pan Road with the ‘street theatre’, which consisted of a dance done by members of the Epic Dynamic Dance Group. scores were redistributed, and conveyed that the Council will only be dealing with official queries sent it by the respective education ministries of the various countries.
“Without getting into specifics, we have already offered to provide the MoE with details of any area of particular concern,” Dr. Wesley said. “Those details will be shared, so they can see what went into and why the results are the way they are. I can only respond to information that I can validate. I cannot speak to something I cannot validate,” was all he was prepared to offer as he was repeatedly questioned by journalists about the ongoing situation.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which effected school closures across the Caribbean since March, the Council delayed its customary May/June examinations, and, instead, administered them in July/ August, modifying them to exclude the regular Paper Two component.
Customarily, students are scored in the exams, based on their performance in a multiple-choice Paper One, the Paper Two, and pre-exam School-Based Assessments (SBAs) or internal Assessments. Each component accounts for a separate percentage of the student’s
which are all roles adults should play in shaping society’s children.
According to Cameal Jeffrey, Childcare and Protection Officer attached to the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, the activity, which is held annually, was held in an attempt to increase awareness and understanding of the importance of primary prevention to reduce child abuse and neglect in the society.
She said, “Child abuse is something we want to stamp out. We know that there are still persons who continue to turn a blind eye to matters that are affecting children in our society, so we are here to send a message; children need to be protected, guided, loved and directed.”
Jeffrey added that pro
CXC Registrar, Dr. Wayne Wesley
overall score.
UNAPOLOGETIC
On Friday, Dr. Wesley refused to explain how the percentage was redistributed this year, given the omission of Paper Two. He also said that he would not agree that there were any anomalies in the process this year.
“We are very much pleased,” he said, adding: “Yes, I am satisfied with the service of our approach this year; it was always with the students in mind. I am satisfied.”
This comes even as the Ministry of Education (MoE) in Guyana wrote the Council on Thursday saying that it was dissatisfied, given the number of complaints be
Childcare and
Protection Officer, Cameal Jeffrey
tecting the nation’s children is not just the Childcare and Protection Agency’s business, but it is everybody’s business and responsibility; this is the core principle the organisation is instilling into the public.
Back in June of this year, Ayo Dalgety-Dean, Founder ing received from students. The Ministries of Education of other Caribbean nations have also registered their concerns with the Council’s 2020 exams.
Dr. Wesley, however, said that, thus far, only two Ministries have officially reached out to the Council seeking clarification, but that he would not name the countries. Dr. Westley said that, notwithstanding the unprecedented outcry by the Caribbean students, the CXC will only be dealing with the situation, based on official reports, of which the Council has only received a few.
Wesley said that all he would offer to the students is that they make official reports about their qualms.
“We have done all our internal checks; that is what I can respond to you about these issues,” Dr. Wesley relayed.
He, however, noted that the Council has not given any consideration to waiving the US$30 fee that students are required to pay if they want a review of their results.
ALL’S NOT WELL
It was last Tuesday that CXC officially released the results of its CSEC and CAPE examinations, and, shortly thereafter, students began to report that all was not right with the grades they were seeing.
Here in Guyana, students of Queen’s College and The Bishops’ High school, on Thursday, staged protests outside of the Ministry of Education’s Examinations Division in the Camp Street compound of the very Queen’s College. The students had the support of their parents, teachers, and their respective schools, as well as the government.
Following Friday’s press conference, many students say that the response from the CXC officials leaves much to be desired.
“CXC kept on going around the bush with their answers; it is contradictory to a very extreme extent, ‘Jerusalema’ dance and being grossly dishonest to say everything is in order and there is no problem. I have simply lost all faith and trust in this profit-based organisation which shows little regard for our actual education,” commented a student of the Ardenne High School in Kingston, Jamaica.
Others say CXC has now left them with even more questions than answers.
“I’m just more confused about CXC’s operation now more than ever. I’m appalled at what I listened to in that press conference; the amount of dodged questions was astounding,” expressed Zane Ramotar, of Queen’s College here in Guyana.
“The Registrar maintained that there were no changes to the weighting; he said that it’s the same weight as mandated by the syllabus. However, when confronted with evidence which clearly showed that the syllabi have weight attached to the Paper Two, he just ignored it, and maintained that the weighting has not been changed,”
The CXC review process ends on October 23, following which the official results for the 2020 exams are scheduled to begin being released from November 6, following any reviews.
Linden uses street theatre to good effect --to help adults understand the role they should play in protecting nation’s children
The dance group, made up of youths, was dressed in t-shirts with messages on them, such as, “Support me”, “Love me”, “Inspire me”, “Protect me”, “Listen to me”, and “Guide me”,
Members of the Epic Dynamic Dance Troupe doing the ever-popular
he added.
and Managing Director of sexual abuse cases, which are advised to contact the Blossom Inc., a children’s may very well be as a result Childcare and Protection charity, told the Guyana of the COVID-19 pandemic. Agency’s hotline on teleChronicle that there has been If you know of a child phone number 2270979 or an increase in reported child who is being abused, you 6231783.
COVID-19 claims another life
–– 130 new cases recorded in 24 hours
THE novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has claimed yet another life within the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 74.
Health authorities said the recent victim is a 71-year-old female from Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam). She died while receiving treatment at a local health facility on Friday.
The Ministry of Health expressed condolences to the family of the deceased, and pledged to make every effort to provide all the necessary support during this difficult time.
Officials of the ministry have since contacted all relatives and persons to facilitate contact- tracing and rapid assistance to everyone who might have been exposed to the victim.
Guyana has lost someone to COVID-19 almost every day over the past month. There has also been a daily increase in the number of cases. The country reported 130 new cases within the past 24 hours.
Health authorities here have so far tested 13,250 persons, with 10,541 proving negative and 2,709 positive. Of the total positive cases, 1,490 persons have recovered, and 73 have lost their lives.
The remaining cases are being monitored by the authorities who have maintained that cases are being detected because more tests are being done. Sample-taking was also increased across the country, because the authorities had believed that many cases were going “under the radar.”
This suspicion prompted them to distribute more sample kits across the country, especially to regions where the infection rate is high. Most of the cases have so far been recorded in Regions One (Barima-Waini), Four (Demerara-Mahaica); Seven (CuyuniMazaruni); and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).
“We are sending out more kits, so there will be an increase in sample collection… The testing itself has components: one is sample collection, and then there is the processing of samples,” said Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony in a recent report.
The actual testing will be done centrally, at the National Reference Laboratory, because regional facilities lack the capacity and personnel with the technical skills needed to get it done. While the government hopes to improve capacity in those regions, the immediate need for sample-testing takes precedence, especially with the high number of asymptomatic cases.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus. Most people who fall sick with COVID-19 will experience mild to moderate symptoms, and recover without special treatment.
The WHO had said that 81 per cent of the persons who contract COVID-19 will have mild symptoms, while 14 per cent will have severe ones, and five per cent will need intensive care. The COVID-19 disease has proven to be “a real killer,” especially in cases involving persons who have co-morbidities such as diabetes and hypertension, among other ailments.
Persons have been consistently encouraged to take extra precautions, because there is no approved cure or specific treatment for the disease. Guyanese have also been reminded time and again to observe the protocols established in the COVID-19 emergency measures.
Anyone who displays any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19, or needs any additional information, can contact the authorities on the COVID-19 Emergency numbers: 231 1166, 226 7480 or 624 6674 immediately, or visit the ministry’s website at www.health.gov.gy.
Reece is chairman of aeronautical engineering school
PAUL Ronald Reece was elected chairman when the Art Williams & Harry Wendt Aeronautical Engineering School held its Annual General Meeting on Wednesday.
The other persons elected to serve on the school’s Board of Directors for the year 2020 – 2021 are Col. (ret’d) Anthony Mekdeci (vice-chairman); Michael Correia Jnr. (direc- tor); Malcolm Chan-A-Sue (director); Oshana Rogers (director); and Bill Cotrill and John Goglia as ex-officio members.
Nalini Chanderban is Ac- countant and General Manag- er; Rabindra Ramoutar, head of training, and Devekanand Ramnarine, Company Secretary.
Incoming Chairman of the Art Williams & Harry Wendt Aeronautical Engineering School, Mr. Paul Reece
expertise essential to the de- velopment and safety of air transport within Guyana, the Caribbean community, and the world at large.
Their programme is de- signed specifically for persons interested in building their career as an aircraft main- tenance engineer, through high vocational achievement and academic excellence. Students are trained in knowledge skills, practical skills, and on- the-job training.
The Art Williams & Harry Wendt Aeronautical Engineering School is the first tertiary institution in CARICOM to have a quality management system that is ISO 9001 certified by the Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards (TTBS).
Pensioner dumps brother in trench during drunken brawl
A PENSIONER has been arrested for killing his 55-yearold brother and dumping his body in a trench after a drunken altercation on Back Street, Den Amstel, West Coast Demerara (WCD) on Thursday.
Dead is Winston Jordan of Back Street Den Amstel, West Coast Demerara. His 65- year-old brother was arrested and remains in custody as investigations into the murder continue.
According to reports, the two brothers were consuming alcohol on Thursday when Jordon left the company of his brother.
“The suspect then followed, caught up with him a short distance away and held on to him trying to pull him. The deceased; however, held on to a neighbour’s gate but the suspect continued to pull him during which he lost his grip on the gate, after which the suspect pushed him to the ground, resulting in the victim hitting his head on the road and losing consciousness,” police said.
The suspect, police said, then dragged Jordon across the street where he threw him into a trench and refused to render assistance.
The motionless body of the man was pulled from the trench by two passersby who saw what had transpired.
The victim was escorted to the Leonora Cottage Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
The body is at the Ezekiel Funeral Home awaiting an autopsy.
At the aforementioned address relatives were reluctant to speak about anything which occurred, noting that they do not know exactly what happened between the two brothers.
Region One CSEC students heartbroken
By Vishani Ragobeer
STUDENTS and teachers of Port Kaituma Secondary School, Region One, are hoping for a speedy resolution to the discrepancies they discovered in the results received recently from the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC).
According to reports received by this newspaper, at Port Kaituma Secondary, 62 candidates received ungraded results for the Mathematics and English Language (English A) Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations they wrote earlier this year.
Twenty-one of those candidates also recorded similar ungraded results for the Principles of Business (PoB) Examination.
An educator who was responsible for the submission of the students’ School-Based Assessments (SBAs) told the Guyana Chronicle that the broadsheet by the school from the CXC indicated that the ungraded students did not submit their SBAs.
However, the educator refuted this claim, pointing out that “When you submit the SBAs online, you would get a confirmation email which states that the SBA was successfully uploaded at the specific time.”
That Region One educator provided screenshots to the Guyana Chronicle of the confirmation email received after the students’ Mathematics and PoB SBAs were all uploaded to the CXC portal before the sitting of the examinations. The confirmation email showed the students’ names and that the SBAs
THE results of this year’s National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) have been released and much to the delight of her contemporaries, it was announced that young Janai Hadassah Shiwram, who hails from the West Coast of Demerara, was one of the top performers in the country.
She scored 519 marks at the examinations and has secured a place at Queen’s College. It came as no surprise to anyone as it is well known that she possesses exceptional talents which she has channeled into academic pursuits.
Shiwram, who started her schooling at the Prosperity Play School in Anna Catherina, subsequently attended the Academy of Excellence (AoE) of Cornelia Ida and Mathematics and English Language were her forte.
She is most thankful to veteran educator and Principal of AoE Latchmin were submitted since May 22, 2020- before the July/August 2020 postponed sitting of the examinations.
Despite not receiving a confirmation email for the English SBAs submitted, the school was informed by the Ministry of Education (MoE)’s Examinations Division that there is a field on the CXC’s SBA portal which will show whether those documents were uploaded. And indeed when the educator and his colleagues checked, it was seen that those SBAs were submitted.
Due to the challenges and potentially devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CXC decided against having students write the Paper Two examination,
as per normal. As such, these SBAs, along with the Paper One, Multiple Choice Examinations the students wrote were what decided what Grade each student would garner.
“The children are heartbroken,” the educator bemoaned, adding: “Their parents are saying that they aren't eating.” For the Mathematics and English subject areas, in particular, students are especially distressed, as these are, arguably, the two crucial subjects needed as they navigate post-secondary school life.
ANGRY AND FRUSTRATED
Teachers too, he said, are angry and frustrated because it feels as
though the CXC is blaming them for the discrepancies by stating that the SBAs were not submitted.
“Something went wrong with CXC somewhere along the line because we have confirmation for Mathematics and PoB and we have proof that the English SBAs were uploaded,” the educator said, noting that “CXC made a mistake or CXC website crashed or something.”
A Facebook post made by the Teacher in Charge of the Port Kaituma secondary school, AnnMarie Daniels, acknowledged the concerns raised by a number of the students for these three subject areas. The teacher assured that the local education authorities were looking into the matter, and she too was hoping for a speedy resolution.
On Thursday, students from three of Guyana’s Grade ‘A’ schools- Queen’s College, The Bishops’ High, and the St. Joseph High School- protested against what they said were major discrepancies discovered from the results released by the CXC. These included lower-than-expected grades and ungraded subjects seen from the results garnered from this year’s CSEC and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE).
On Friday, in response to numerous concerns raised by students, teachers, parents, and even Education Ministries across the Caribbean, the CXC held a presser where the specific case of ungraded results was one of the concerns raised. CXC Registrar, Wayne Wesley, said that the concerns are being
At the presser, it was communicated that there might have been instances where additional information for the SBAs was requested, but not submitted. However, the registrar said that the CXC is working with the local registrars and the Ministries of Education to address those concerns.
Shiwram credits supportive family for NGSA success
looked into. Gopal and teachers, Nerissa Samuels and Shanece Hing without whom, she firmly believes, she could not have achieved what she did.
Speaking about her achievements, Janai strikes a humble tone, more comfortable at pointing out her weaknesses than her strengths. She said there is a myth out there, or popular belief, that most parents are somehow responsible for pushing their young children into living their dreams, and she thinks that’s a trope that though true in some cases, was definitely not so in her case, as it is she who takes the lead in her own academic and co-curricular development, through self-determination.
The young Shiwram whose hobbies include reading and painting is self-assured and optimistic for a future that is flush with endless possibilities. She said many people assume that things come easily to gifted people, but noted that her success has come from being very serious and very dedicated.
She knows that not all gifted children go on to achieve great things as adults, and as a consequence intends to work very hard each day that she attends Queen’s College, the top school which she was awarded.
Janai also credits her grandmother, Donna Etwaroo, with instilling in her, focus. Along with her parents, her grandmother has been extremely important in her development, giving her puzzle books to solve from age six and reinforcing subjects taught to her in school such as mathematics. She feels very lucky to have a very inspiring and supportive family.
Man wanted for WCB fatal shooting captured
POLICE have arrested Ricardo Mitchell, 31, called “Cardo” of Lot 30, Bennett Dam, West Bank Berbice, who was wanted for questioning into the murder of Winston Robertson called “High Rollers” or “Redman”, 30, on August 10, at Lot 42, Cotton Tree, West Coast Berbice.
Mitchell has been on the run ever since until police acting on intelligence managed to apprehend himon Friday.
On August 9, Mitchell had accused his 26-old-old wife of messaging someone on facebook. He subsequently assaulted her and she ran away from home, fearing for her safety.
Caught: Ricardo Mitchell
The woman then confided in Robertson about the assault and he arranged for her to stay at one of his friends.
However, on August 10, at approximately 19:30 hours while at the friend’s house, she was in conversation with Robertson and an 18-yearold when she heard an explosion and saw Robertson clutching his abdomen. He later fell to the ground.
She then saw Mitchell, who was armed with a gun, turn his attention to her. As the woman tried to escape, she fell to the ground while Mitchell stood over her andpointed the gun to her and pulled the trigger twice but the gun snapped.
The woman then tried to escape and while on the public road, Mitchell caught up with her and dealt her several lashes to her head with the gun until she was unconscious.
Meanwhile, Robertson, who was shot to abdomen and bleeding profusely, jumped into his car and drove off but crashed a short distance away.
He and the 26-year-old woman were picked up and taken to the Fort Wellington Hospital. Robertson was then transferred to the New Amsterdam Hospital where he succumbed. The woman was also admitted and treated forfour wounds to the head.
Mitchell is expected to be charged very soon.
GTT introduces its Blaze service to Parika
–– Corriverton customers to benefit next
THE Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) has expanded its Blaze service to Parika to the benefit of 550 households.
“With many students, teachers and workers having to utilise more bandwidth, we believe this implementation comes at an opportune time to allow for better connectivity with increased speeds,” said GTT’s Product Lead of Fixed Broadband Services, Jamal Inniss.
At the end of 2019, GTT’s Chief Executive Of
ficer, Justin Nedd, announced that the company had intentions to extend its fibre-optic network to communities in Parika, Berbice and Linden in 2020. Despite the current pandemic, GTT has remained committed to its promise to the residents of Parika; customers in Corriverton will benefit next. “We are in this together - GTT has and will continue to support the evolution of Guyana because it’s only when we come together we rise,” said Nedd.
Many customers have already applied for their Blaze service, with the first installation in the area scheduled for September 28, 2020. Persons who have not yet applied can do so at http://bit.ly/ Blaze_PaR.
