EXAMS POSTPONED
AS COVID-19 continues to shake up the status quo on the island, the long-serving Barbados Secondary School’s Entrance Exam (BSSEE) will be pushed back to Tuesday June 2, if the Trinity Term (Term three) begins on April 14, 2020. The original date of the exam was set for Tuesday May 5, 2020.
This and other changes were announced yesterday afternoon by Minister of Education, Technological and Vocational Training, Santia Bradshaw, as she revealed amendments not only to the schedules for the BSSEE commonly referred to as the 11+ exam, but also the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC).
In a release also issued yesterday, it was noted that due to the recent declaration regarding the national status of COVID-19 and the restrictions that have been imposed, steps have been taken to safeguard the health and well-being of stakeholders in education.
“To this end, the BSSEE will now be administered on Tuesday June 2. However, this option is contingent on the Trinity Term commending on April 14 2020,” she clarified.
It was added that the a number of amendments are being implemented with immediate effect to the May/June CXC Examinations schedule. These include the suspension of on-site and Centre moderation across all practical subjects until further notice is given. Additionally, there will be no School Based Assessment practicals in Physical Education and in the Theatre Arts. These will be rescheduled in due course.
“In cases where students have outstanding SBAs or labs to be completed it is recommended that an online option be used to guide and support them where feasible. Where it is not feasible to complete labs off-site or virtually, it is proposed that they can be rescheduled when the Trinity Term commences,” it was further pointed out.
It was noted that at this time, CXC has not changed its deadline for the submission of SBAs. “It is proposed that where students have been unable to submit completed SBAs due to the current disruption due to COVID-19, that each school submit a justification and the appropriate representation will be made to CXC for consideration.”
At present, there is no information regarding changes to the CXC timetable. However the Ministry of Education assured that schools and students will be kept informed as more information becomes available.