July CXC dates can work for Jamaica

THE EDITOR, Madam:

As a trained teacher and parent of a current Caribbean Secondary Education (CSEC) Certificate candidate, the conversation on Jamaica’s readiness for students to sit the Caribbean Examinations Council tests in July is near and dear to me. While I appreciate the concerns across the board, the students should take centre stage and everything done to get them to exams and beyond.

I have been listening to the concerns and fears about the sitting of the regional CSEC and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination tests, and I believe the July exam date is reasonable. However, it needs a return to physical school for the fifth- and sixth-formers sitting the exams. The logistics would also need to be tightly managed.

First, a safe and effective transport system should be put in place. In the Corporate Area, for example, Jamaica Urban Transit Company buses can be used for each school or a group of schools assigned to the buses based on the routes.

Since it will be only the fifth- and sixth-form cohorts returning to the campuses, they can be divided to ensure that there aren’t more than 19 students plus a teacher in each classroom space. Spread out candidates across the campus and let them remain in the rooms except for labs and practicals. Mask and sanitiser rules should also be enforced.

Schools may need to get parents as volunteers to sit with classes or to monitor work. Students must use tablets or PCs – and not cellphones – to access online content. Internet service providers would also, therefore, need to bring schools up to speed with broadband Internet.

The reality is that the exams need to be done. Maybe a revisiting of school-based assessments is in order, but to not sit the exams is tantamount to academic suicide.

SANDRA MAXWELL WILLIAMS