Garcia: No change to SEA date

There have been some concern in some quarters that moving the exam forward would be a disadvantage to those students who were slower than others.

The exam was originally written in March, but was pushed back to May after teachers voiced their concerns that this did not give them adequate time to prepare their students and complete the syllabus.

However, Garcia said the matter has not reached the table.

“I don’t know where that talk originated.

We have not even discussed that. We have to put up a review of the exams and we are going to start with the SE A. We removed the Continuous Assessment Component (CAC) and in the case of creative writing, we have to decide how we are going to approach that, whether we would have it on the same day of the exam, or whether we would have done as it was done in the schools,” he told Newsday.

He said the matter had to be discussed thoroughly before any decision could be made.

“All of those things we have to sit down and discuss. They have not discussed that at all and that’s the truth, about whether they would push up the exam or the changing of the date of the exam.

One has not entered into any discussion at all,” he said.

Garcia said there have been mixed feelings regarding the dates.

“Some people say the extra time would benefit the children.

They have to do an analysis, a review of the results before we decide what course of action we are going to take. If there are going to be any changes, or if it is going to remain as it is, it must be on the basis of a comprehensive analysis of the exams, and this is what we propose to do,” the minister said.