Students Sitting CSEC Exams Under Flood Conditions, Says Shadow Education Minister
By Antonio Dey | HGP Nightly News|
CHARITY, ESSEQUIBO COAST — Students at Charity Secondary School are sitting Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations under what the Shadow Minister of Education has described as conditions of “distress,” with repeated heavy rainfall flooding the school compound and forcing repeated class cancellations during the May–June rainy season.
Dr. Gordon Barker, Shadow Minister of Education and Member of Parliament for the main opposition We Invest In Nationhood (WIN) party, accused the government of focusing on maintaining appearances rather than addressing the root causes of the flooding and infrastructure problems at the school.
Students Writing Exams Under Pressure
Speaking to HGP Nightly News on Wednesday, Dr. Barker said students currently sitting examinations are doing so under significant strain.
“We spoke to some parents and some students, and especially those from the fourth and fifth level — those students who are writing examinations are in a state of panic because mentally, they are not there,” he said.
According to a source familiar with the matter, two students related to the source were afraid to write their examinations because of floodwaters and the presence of reptiles in the area surrounding the school.
“Has Not Done Anything”
Dr. Barker said the conditions at Charity Secondary are not new, and that the government has had ample notice of the school’s infrastructure and drainage problems.
“Despite repeated concerns about the infrastructure, about drainage, this government, this administration has not done anything to safeguard the nation’s children, to safeguard the nation’s teachers,” he said.
The Shadow Minister also questioned how students could be expected to learn in spaces he described as being at risk of collapse, citing the deteriorating state of school buildings under repeated flooding.
Overcrowding and Mismanagement Alleged
A social media post circulating about the school, referenced by Dr. Barker, alleges that Charity Secondary is grappling with severe overcrowding and mismanagement, forcing the institution to operate beyond its intended capacity.
The Shadow Minister said the onset of the May–June rains has further weakened the school’s already strained infrastructure.
Call for Substantive Action
Dr. Barker called on the Ministry of Education, the Regional Democratic Council, and other relevant authorities to take urgent action.
“I wish to call on the Ministry of Education, I wish to call on the Regional Democratic Council and all the relevant authorities to address the situation,” he said.
He argued that students at Charity Secondary deserve more than temporary fixes or what he described as “glossy public relations statements,” and said no student should be forced to write CSEC examinations under conditions of distress.
Ministry Silent
Several calls placed by HGP Nightly News to the Minister of Education, Sonia Parag, seeking comment, went unanswered. The Regional Democratic Council for the area had also not issued a public statement on conditions at the school at the time of publication.
As the rainy season continues and CSEC examinations are underway, attention is likely to remain on whether the Ministry of Education and regional authorities will undertake substantive infrastructure intervention at Charity Secondary — or whether students will be left to complete their examinations in current conditions.
