Santa Rosa student prevented from writing NGSA because parent tested positive for COVID-19

A National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) student from the Santa Rosa Primary School in Moruca Region One was denied entry to write the exams by regional health officials because one of his parents tested positive for COVID-19.

“A parent of the child tested positive for the Coronavirus and the child was supposed to be in quarantine and the Regional Health Officials would have subsequently advised that the child not be allowed to write the exams,” Public Relations Officer at the Ministry of Education, Brushell Blackman told the News Room Thursday.

The child turned up to write the exams Wednesday but was sent home. The Public Relations Officer could not say whether the child was tested for the disease.

Blackman said going forward the child will “be taken care of” in terms of being placed at a secondary school closest to his home and a year later write the Ministry’s placement exams.

Over 14,000 NGSA students across Guyana wrote the exams Wednesday and Thursday.

Santa Rosa in Region One is now the hotspot for COVID-19 with over 70 confirmed cases and one death. There are four primary schools in Santa Rosa – the largest populated Amerindian village in Guyana.

The students in the village did not attend school in order to prepare for the exams as a number of teachers tested positive for the disease.

The village will be proceeding on a total lockdown from Saturday, July 5 for two weeks.

This is the fourth lockdown that will be implemented in the village as residents are not adhering to the guidelines, claiming that the disease does not exist.