Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw hosted a virtual press conference at 11:30 a.m. today.
The focus of the press conference was the 11-Plus Examination and a general update on education.
Acting Chief Education Officer Joy Adamson, Deputy Chief Education Officer and local registrar Dr Roderick Rudder and Director of Education Reform Dr Idamay Denny also participated.
Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw
• The Barbados Secondary School Entrance Examination (BSSEE) will be held on July 28.
• Pupils will be allowed to defer writing of the examination.
• Having the ability to defer is not a bad thing.
Acting Chief Education Officer Joy Adamson
• The BSSEE assessment was undertaken on May 12 to determine the readiness of pupils attending public and private primary schools.
• Pupils wrote papers in Grammar and Comprehension.
• Compared with the last three years, there was a moderate decline nationally in the English paper.
• In the Mathematics assessment, the results caused alarm.
• More than 50 per cent of students will need more time to prepare for the BSSEE.
• The results of the assessment indicate that the syllabus was not completed.
• Students had great difficulty understanding maths concepts in the online platform.
• More than 50 per cent of students will proceed to secondary school with severe deficits.
Dr Roderick Rudder, Deputy Chief Education Officer
For the first time, the Caribbean Examinations Council has made available the option to defer writing of examinations.
- Approximately 1 643 CSEC subject deferrals requested.
- 130 CAPE subject deferrals requested.
- Ministry of Education will provide learning support for students who have opted to defer
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