Manickchand assures NGSA pupils of high-quality secondary education

The 2022 National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) commenced on Wednesday and Minister of Education Priya Manickchand assured all pupils of high-quality secondary education.

Manickchand spoke with the press while visiting pupils at the Bel Air Primary School in Georgetown.

The NGSA determines which secondary school a child attends and Manickchand related that the government is working to ensure all secondary schools deliver the same quality of education.

“Our commitment to you is that we are working very, very hard to make sure every school delivers a high-quality education.

“So, if you get Campbellville Secondary, you can be assured that in five years you will be a student to whom value was significantly added and who will be productive once they leave the school,” Manickchand said.

She further related that the government implemented specific initiatives to prepare children for the exams such as a consolidated curriculum and two mock examinations.

Worksheets and quizzes were also prepared for pupils. The exams end on Thursday.

“We are confident that we are not going to be seeing see some of the results that some of our sister CARICOM countries have been bawling about recently,” Manickchand said.

Trinidad and Tobago recorded a significant decline in students’ performance in the country’s primary exit exams – Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) – this year.

As such, Trinidad’s Minister of Education Dr. Nyan Gadsby-Dolly said there will be no announcement of top-ranking performances and schools. The poor performance is due to learning loss resulting from the lack of face-to-face classes, Trinidad Express reported.

In Guyana, the education ministry launched a programme known as “Operation Recovery” where stakeholders have been attempting to help return children to schools.

This programme will be intensified from September when faith-based and non-governmental organsiations will assist the ministry in getting children back into schools.