The Grade Six National Assessment (G6NA) examinations will hold for Dominican students this year despite the COVID-19 pandemic. This assurance was given by the Assistant Chief Education Officer, Dr. Jeffrey Blaize, during the “Education in Action” programme put up by the Ministry of Education.
Dr. Blaize said it is important that the exam holds because it is the prerequisite for gaining admission into the secondary schools in Dominica. He noted that primary school students in Grade 5 and 6 have been preparing for this examination over a 7-year period, and that it would not be fair to dash their expectations for sitting for the examinations when the time comes.
Definitely we will have a Grade Six National Assessment and there are several reasons why we should have a national assessment. Our students have been preparing and imagine students preparing for 7 years for an exam and there is that void, and more importantly, in the last two years, our students in grades 5 and 6 these students have put a lot of sleepless nights into preparations.
Dr. Jeffrey Blaize: Assistant Chief Education Officer
The assistant chief education officer noted that eligible students are primed psychologically to sit for the exam and disappointing them is not on the table. He said appropriate measures will be put in place to safeguard the health and wellbeing of the students during the exams, and this includes observing social distancing in the exam halls.
Blaize said the Ministry of Education takes the health of students is very importantly, and they will put everything in place to make them write the exam in a safe environment. “We will not compromise the authenticity of the exam, but we will ensure that it meets the needs of the education system,” he added.
The education official said the ministry will engage the students before the exams to ensure that they are ready so that “no particular child is disadvantaged” in terms of their level of educational preparation.
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