Education Minster, Rev. the Hon. Ronald Thwaites, says everything is in place for the start of the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) on Thursday, March 21.
He said schools are already receiving their supplies to facilitate the two-day sitting of the examination, and the delivery process should be completed by the end of Tuesday.
“I am encouraging any school that is feeling they are missing something, to get in touch with the Regional Office of the Ministry of Education, and that would give us a day to make sure that whatever is needed is rectified. But we have been following the deliveries very closely and as far as we know, there have been no hitches,” Minister Thwaites told JIS News.
The Minister is urging parents, teachers and school administrators, to keep calm and encourage the students to do their best in the exam.
Addressing just under 100 GSAT students from Lannaman’s, Richmond Park and Rose Gordon Preparatory Schools on Tuesday, March 19, at the Church of the Nazarene, in St. Andrew, the Education Minister told them to have confidence in themselves as they go to sit the examination.
He said the test is based on the same curriculum as last year. “While there are a few questions in Social Studies and Science that will exercise your thought process, the examination as a whole is what you will expect it to be and what your teachers would have prepared you to do. So please don’t be extra nervous,” he said.
He reminded the students that there is no pass mark for GSAT and while students may have preferences, “whatever high school you are placed in, that is an opportunity for you to do well. That is an opportunity for you to progress… just do your best.”
The Minister also said overtime, the GSAT exam will be altered to allow for greater analysis from students rather than a reliance on memory.
He further urged the students to take their education seriously, reminding them that education is the key to their future.
By Andrea Braham, JIS Reporter