Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 27, 2020 (SKNIS): Students will receive their devices to facilitate virtual learning on May 28 at 9:00 a.m. at the Education Planning Division at Lockhart Street in St. Kitts and the Education Department at Marian Heights in Nevis, says Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, during his remarks at the May 26 National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) COVID-19 Daily Briefing.
Device pickup is by invitation only on a schedule basis, said Mr. Hodge. He added that students who were selected for devices were identified based on a survey prior to the close of school.
“Each recipient, whether it be a parent or guardian will be called at least 24 hours in advance of their schedule appointment,” he said. “In other words, there are no children allowed on the site where these devices are distributed. They are to be collected by parents or guardians.”
Mr. Hodge said that at the pickup location in St. Kitts, the first round of tablets will be distributed from 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on May 28 and continue throughout the day up to 3:00 p.m.
“Ten recipients will be served each half hour with approximately 110 devices being distributed each day,” he said.
Distribution in Nevis will take place from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., said Mr Hodge.
The Permanent Secretary stated that both places have undergone security screening by the NEOC.
Mr. Hodge noted that device distribution will be done by the Office of the Chief Education Officer in collaboration with the Education Planning Division in St. Kitts and the Principal Education Officer and the Education Department in Nevis.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education stated that the distribution has been prioritized starting with high schools in the federation giving preference to those students without devices.
Mr. Hodge added that to maintain order, the schedule for device pickup has also been organized school by school.
After Thursday, distribution will be carried out on subsequent days until it has been completed, stated the Permanent Secretary.
Recipients of devices for the primary school students will be contacted at the appropriate time, he said.
The Permanent Secretary said that parents and guardians will be expected to bring a national issued picture ID including driver’s licence, social security card or passport to pick up the devices.
Social and physical distancing protocols will be in place in alignment with the COVID-19 requirements, said Mr. Hodge.
“These include hand sanitization, wearing of masks, and the six-foot distance,” he said.
Persons are asked not to go to the pickup location until they have been given an appointment. They are also asked to arrive 15 minutes ahead of schedule.
Parents and guardians will also be required to sign a loan agreement form as the tablets are on a loan basis to students, said Mr. Hodge.
Any home having three or more students requiring tablets would be provided with two tablets, noted Mr. Hodge
There will be a total of 700 household, 500 on St. Kitts and 200 on Nevis, being provided with internet access by the Ministry of Education.
Additionally, 400 laptops are being processed to be distributed to teachers to enable them to provide virtual instruction, said Permanent Secretary Hodge.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 27, 2020 (SKNIS): Provisional arrangements are being made for students to be allowed on campus to complete their Student Based Assessments (SBAs) and Internal Assessments (IAs), says William Hodge, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, during his remarks at the May 26 National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) COVID-19 Daily Briefing.
Mr. Hodge said that when the State of Emergency was declared in March, 2020, fifth formers and students of the Clarence Fitzroy Bryant College (CFBC) were in the process of working on their SBAs. With reference to the CFBC students, they were working on their Internal Assessments (IAs).
He stated that in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Ministry of Education sought provisional permission for students writing CSEC and CAPE to return to their respective high school campuses and CFBC campus to complete their SBAs and IAs.
Mr. Hodge emphasised that no other students will be allowed on school campuses as schools in the federation are physically closed until further notice.
The Permanent Secretary noted that before the COVID-19 Task Force can grant permission for these provisional arrangements, for students to temporarily return, a number of health and safety protocols must be in place.
“To ensure that campuses meet the health standards, the Task Force will visit all secondary schools on Thursday 28, 2020,” he said. “Schools are mandated to have certain processes implemented. For instance, students will be screened daily on arrival, their temperature will be taken, they will be questioned as to whether they have been sneezing or coughing. The sanitization of students’ hands will be done.”
Mr. Hodge stated that in this regard, parents are asked to take note that transportation by school buses will be arranged. Students are asked to bring water and snack if necessary as they will not be allowed to leave the premises to buy lunch.
“When they enter at mornings they will be processed as we say and they will leave at the end of their session at midday or for the afternoon. They are not allowed to leave and return,” he said.
He added that parents will be given notice or instruction by the various principals as to whether school uniforms or casual attire would be worn by students.
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 26, 2020 (SKNIS): Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, the Honourable Shawn Richards, has stated that “in order to keep students safe, and in alignment with public health guidance and physical school closures, the decision has been taken that national assessments, specifically the components of the Test of Standards and End of Year Secondary Schools’ Common Examinations, will not be administered for the 2019 – 2020 academic year.”
Deputy Prime Minister Richards stated this during this address to the nation on May 25. He noted that questions continue to be raised regarding the usual assessment of students for the transitioning to secondary schools. “Students and parents have been asking specifically about Tests of Standards but national assessments consist of more than Tests of Standards,” he said.
The Deputy Prime Minister said that in recent years, the Ministry of Education, through the Curriculum Development Unit, has “administered national assessments for grades 4 and 6 in primary schools, and common exams in selected subject areas for students in forms 1 through 3 in secondary schools.”
“Ordinarily, national examination brings with it a certain level of anxiety for all stakeholders and we are mindful that children, parents, and families at large are coping with the challenges inherent with protracted physical school closure and the transition to online and virtual education,” said the Deputy Prime Minister. “Given the current education environment, we take great care to mitigate as much as possible the disadvantages which our current national context brings to bear for students.”
As a result, the decision was made not to administer the examinations for the 2019-2020 academic year.
Deputy Prime Minister Richards stated that in order to ensure that all students receive the necessary support to succeed in secondary school, “measures are being put in place to address the transition of grade six students to secondary schools.”
“The proposed approach will utilize the review of students’ academic record for grade 5 and the existing grade 6 record for Term 1 and 2 of the current academic year,” he said. “Further, a process of consultation between grade six teachers and secondary schools will be facilitated to allow for the comprehensive review of students’ performance.”
The Minister of Education stated that the method, which was recommended for the transitioning of students to secondary schools, “is consistent with best practices in education and is in full alignment with not only the Ministry of Education’s Sector Strategy Plan 2017 to 2021, but more specifically it aligns with the Curriculum Review and Enhancement process which promotes the continuous and varied assessments of students’ learning and performance.”
The Deputy Prime Minister added that most importantly, “it is deemed to be in the best interest of the students. A similar process of assessment utilizing marks from Term 1 and 2 along with teacher consultation will guide the promotion of secondary students.”
]]>Basseterre, St. Kitts, May 26, 2020 (SKNIS): During his address to the nation on May 25, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, the Honourable Shawn Richards, stated that CXC examinations will be administered in July 2020.
“This decision arose out of a meeting of OECS Ministers of Education who endorsed taking a unified approach to regional examinations,” said Deputy Prime Minister Richards. “Further, at a meeting of the CARICOM Ministers of Education, support was given to CXC examinations being held in July 2020. CXC made a policy decision on 26th March, 2020, to offer a modified approach for the regular May/June examinations of 2020. In this modified approach, there would be only two components by which the students’ final grades would be determined. The components are: Paper I (a Multiple-Choice Assessment), and School Based Assessments (SBA’s), and Paper 032s (alternative to SBA’s) for private candidates.”
The Minister of Education stated that this means that students’ overall grades for CSEC and CAPE would be determined from two instead of three assessment components. “This means that the SBA component would now be carrying a heavier weight than in previous years,” he said.
The Education Minister stated that it is important to note that unlike previous years, CXC has requested 100 percent submission of SBAs and IAs – “that is, the submission of all SBAs and IAs for candidates.”
“This is necessary because of the modified approach being used where there will be no Paper 2s and only Paper 1s for almost all subject areas,” he said.
Considering the policy decision to offer a modified approach to assessment, the Ministry of Education must act in the best interest of students registered for CXC CSEC and CAPE exams, said the Deputy Prime Minister.
“To this end, we at the Ministry of Education are currently working with the National Taskforce on COVID – 19 towards the issuance of a special provision which would allow students currently registered to sit CSEC and CAPE examinations to receive direct teacher instruction to supplement current virtual education modalities being utilized towards exam preparation,” he said.
“The proposed education provision for students sitting CXC examinations is being made to support the completion of SBA’s and practical components, which are required elements of the modified CXC examination approach,” he added.
The Deputy Prime Minister stated the proposed special provision for limited use of educational facilities for instruction, therefore, will apply only to students identified by their institutions for supplemental exam preparation support.
“Thus, only students sitting overseas exams will be allowed access to schools and for the sole purposes of completing SBAs or IAs and other examination requirements. Beyond this provisional use of schools, I must reiterate that all educational institutions in St. Kitts and Nevis will remain closed for regular instruction until further notice,” said the Minister of Education.
]]>