Just over 100 children from the Wilkie Cumberbatch Primary School and Grantley Prescod Primary today enjoyed a smooth entry into the Parkinson Memorial School, The Pine, St Michael to write the the Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination.
From as early at 7:25 a.m., children with parents, some of whom seemed more nervous than they were, started arriving on foot or in vehicles. For the Wilkie children, it was a case of home court advantage as they had spent the last year of their primary school life attending classes next door at the University of The West Indies Open Campus due to damage to their school plant and the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
At 8:05 a.m., year head from Parkinson, Sheldon Hope, came out to inform the assembled students to enter Parkinson’s car park to be placed in groups. That saw the school monitors springing into action checking temperatures and sanitising the children’s hands as parents gave good luck hugs and kisses.
In the car park, Hope and principal Ian Holder were efficient in overseeing the operation as the children were escorted by other personnel in groups of eight to their respective rooms.
Police Sargeant Christopher Griffith and his team were also present, and monitored the smooth process.
By the time all of the students had disappeared into rooms, so too had the parents and guardians. (KB)
