Basseterre, St. Kitts, July 2, 2021 (SKNIS): Students across the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis are currently sitting the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) CSEC and CAPE examinations during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education Mr. William Hodge outlined measures that have been put in place to allow for the smooth flowing of exams in the safest way possible.
“A number of measures have been put in place to allow us to have students sit the exams in a safe environment. All candidates from the secondary schools and private candidates are to complete a form online that has questions pertaining to the symptoms of the COVID-19 virus. This form actually should be e-mailed to the schools before they arrive there, an hour before. On arrival at schools, the forms are again checked, the students are interviewed based on what would be written on the form. So that level of screening is something that has been introduced at this time, especially given the fact that we are writing the exams under these conditions,” said Permanent Secretary Hodge.
The Ministry of Education has also put strict measures in place for officers and invigilators who will be travelling from St. Kitts to Nevis and vice-versa to ensure that there is strict adherence to the COVID-19 health and safety protocols. Mr. Hodge outlined also in his address the measures that are in place for candidates who will be using the school buses or private vehicles to get to the examination centers.
“There is also a level of screening and protocols at the bus level because students are being transported by school buses as well as by private vehicles. And so, once they arrive at the bus, they are screened, temperature is taken, hand sanitized, and their mask on. Students that are transported by their parents or in cases where they live very close to the schools and are able to walk, we want to say to candidates that if you are stopped by the Police you must have on your persons your ID and timetable and school uniform if you are enrolled,” said Permanent Secretary Hodge.
Permanent Secretary Hodge urged persons to cooperate with the Police if they are stopped on the way to or from any examinations. He further extended thanks to the Ministry of Health for the work it has done in managing the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in managing students who were quarantined before the period of exams started. Students are officially on vacation from July 2nd, 2021.
