Garcia: No plans for evaluation

In response to a question in the Senate on this issue, Garcia said the students in this group who are over 13 years of age will be admitted to secondary school. He added that those students who are under 13 years, will return to school and be allowed to re-sit the SE A next year.

Garcia said while there are no plans to conduct vacation programmes with these students, the ministry’s Student Support Services Division will be conducting initiatives in numeracy and literacy with the students. The minister disclosed that for the new academic year, “we would be engaging with principals of the primary schools to ascertain what additional support is needed to treat with students who they are fully aware do not meet the standard for placement in the secondary level.” Garcia said this would entail but not be limited to school social workers, “to go to the homes and look at the environment in which the students are in.” He also told senators that remedial teachers are placed in at risk schools. Garcia said there is always an ongoing review of protocols at his ministry. He said when the new term opens in September, “we will be able to identify students with specific needs and design individual programmes to meet these needs.”