The Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development will administer the annual Grade Six National Assessment (G6NA) on Thursday, May 30 and Friday, May 31, 2019.
This year, 844 students, 444 girls and 400 boys, are set to write the exams. This number represents a 12% decrease from last year when 965 students sat the exam.
The examinations are scheduled to begin at 8:00 am, with an assembly at 7:45, at 53 centers occupying 40 school buildings around the island.
On day one, students will be tested on Language Arts and Social Studies, while on day two; Mathematics and Science will be administered. With the exception of language Arts, all exams will be single paper multiple-choice test. The Language Arts examination will consist of two (2) components; a sixty (60) item multiple-choice paper and a composition paper.
The Ministry of Education and Human Resource Development advises parents that they are not allowed at testing centers while the examinations are in progress. (Ends)
Rather than repeat what I have said previously regarding the flawed reasoning behind the Grade Six National Assessment Examination, I refer readers to my DNO commentaries “Life Beyond the Common Entrance” and “My School Report“.
Over two thousand years ago Plato stated: “Avoid compulsion and let your children’s lessons take the form of play…this will help you see what they are naturally fitted for.”
More recently Herbert Read (1893-1968) in his book “Education Through Art” summarized the purpose of education as being: “…to foster the growth of what is individual in each human being and at the same time harmonizing the individuality thus educed with the organic unity of the social group to which the individual belongs.”
The Common Entrance and CXC examinations fail miserably in achieving the above ideals.