I INFORMED MY STUDENTS four weeks ago that they would have an end-of-term exam. I made sure to give them ample time to study and prepare themselves.
The date came and I gave the children the test. Unfortunately, I was low on ink and as a result, the questions and instructions on some scripts were faded, and, in some cases, incomplete.
This resulted in some children solving problems using methods other than what was given in the instructions, and some made mistakes and used incorrect numbers.
A concerned parent visited me at the school furious because her child had failed. She argued: “Mr Worrell, this is unfair, how can you give my daughter a failing grade when you failed to have clearly printed exam papers?”
Does the parent have a point? Was it unfair to the child? If your response is yes, I agree with you. the child should not have been penalised for my error or inefficiency.
What you read above did not actually happen, but a similar thing has been occurring for a long time with driving tests and needs to be addressed.
Example 1
If you leave City Centre Mall, turn right, then make a left at the junction and then the first right, you would be on Mason Hall Street, which leads to St Mary’s Primary. A student on her exam was approaching the end of that road and the testing officer told her to turn right at the junction, which would take one to Tudor Street.
The student stopped at the junction and indicated to turn right and was failed for not taking the right lane to make the right turn. The student had never been on this road before and had no idea it was a one-way road and as a result, treated it as she would a two-way road. To add insult to injury, there weren’t any direction arrows painted on the street to inform her.
Example 2
A student on a test was heading east on Roebuck Street approaching the roundabout by the old Globe Cinema. The testing officer told the person to go straight after exiting the roundabout. The student went in the right lane, went around the roundabout, kept straight and was failed.
The driving instructor was furious because there were no signs informing the student that the right lane was for right only, while the left was for left and straight. How would the student know this given that some roundabouts allow you to go straight in the right lane?
Students are being unfairly failed due to a lack of signage, whether mounted on a pole or painted on the street. Instructors try their best to adequately prepare students for their exams, but the Ministry of Transport and Works and the Licensing Authority have a responsibility to make sure that the signs are visible and in sensible places.
For instance, two-tonne vehicles are not allowed to turn left at the Nita Barrow Roundabout, which would take you to the entrance of Government House. The no-entry sign for these vehicles is located at the roundabout itself, which means by the time students see it, they are in the left lane and it would be too late to cross to the right lane, resulting in a failure. That sign should be further back to alert drivers in advance.
I understand that there were six to seven testing officers in the past, but for a while now there have been only three to serve the entire country. This has resulted in instructors and students arriving as early as 5:30 a.m. or 6 a.m. to queue.
Instructors have complained about the process taking five hours from the time of arrival to completion. This is unacceptable. They also believe a 45-minute test is too long and it could be completed in 15 to 20 minutes max.
I would like to make one suggestion. I believe there should be three to four testing routes that all instructors are aware of. At the start of the exam, the student would be informed which route the test would be on.
Oh, and I think it is stupid that students are failed for not stopping when an ambulance is heading in the opposite direction unobstructed, especially given that no drivers in Barbados do it. Maybe next week we can continue this topic.
• Corey Worrell, a former Commonwealth Youth Ambassador, is director of C2J Foundation Inc., a project-based NGO focusing on social development. Email: coreyworrell@gmail.com
