Big smiles after 11-Plus

Dozens of anxious parents blocked the locked gates of Harrison College around 1 p.m. as they waited eagerly for the release of their children.

For thousands of private and public primary school students, Tuesday was the most important moment of their lives; one which their teachers and parents had been preparing them for over the last couple of months. The atmosphere was mixed as some parents were excited, holding up cameras and mobile phones towards the school hall while others took on a more tense mood, fidgeting at the gate. The two primary schools which sat the Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination (BSSEE) at the Crumpton Street lo-cation were Wesley Hall Primary School and St. Angela’s Primary School.

The Barbados Advocate spoke to a few parents, who shared some of the challenges and triumphs they faced leading up to the important day. One parent, whose son is attending Wesley Hall, said he worked long and hard to get his child to this point. His son, who is a spirited football player, knew he had to prioritise his school work first over extra-curricular activities. Another father, whose son is attending St. Angela’s, said he is already proud of his child and although this is an important passage in his life, his next hurdle was seeing him through to university.

Around 1:15 p.m., the gates were opened and students of St. Angela’s were the first to emerge, walking briskly towards their awaiting parents. Moments later, the students of Wesley Hall Junior School came out, many chatting with their friends about the exam.

Wesley Hall student, Brianna Ram, greeted her proud parents with all smiles and told The Barbados Advocate about her Common Entrance experience. “It was easy. I would say I get a 100 in Maths, probably an A in Composition and 90-something in Grammar,” said Brianna.

The student noted that her mother, Lalita Bhola, helped her with areas that she did not understand and advised her not to panic in the exam and read over her work. Brianna said she hopes to attend Harrison College.

Another student, John-Paul Wilson of St. Angela’s School, admitted that the exam was okay and he will be spending the afternoon relaxing with his school friends at The Boatyard. His excited parents, Darrell and Nicole Wilson, both gave their son a big hug after the exam. The doting parents expressed their relief that the exam was over and acknowledged the fact that their son worked extremely hard leading up to this point. John-Paul’s father, who is happy with his son’s efforts, expressed the need for change in the structure of the exam for children with unique academic challenges.

“I would like to see the Ministry of Education embrace changes in Education and try to keep up with international trends and understand that all children learn, even though some children learn differently. And it makes no sense to be assessing children in 2017, based on 1970 ideals. They need to embrace change and they need to cater to children who learn differently and understand 15 minutes extra is not the solution. That has nothing to do with diversity,” said Wilson.