PARENTS yesterday expressed both disappointment and understanding at news that the 38,470 students who were scheduled to sit the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) on Thursday and Friday will have to wait another week before they can take the examination.
Cabinet yesterday took the decision to push back the exam in order to accommodate the roughly 11,675 students who are unable to do the test because they were impacted in one way or another by smoke from the fire still smouldering at the Riverton landfill in St Andrew since last Wednesday.
"Our results reveal that several GSAT students, as well as staff, are affected by the adverse conditions," Education Minister Ronald Thwaites explained at a special Jamaica House press briefing yesterday.
He said the situation remains uncertain, although there has been improvement over the weekend. "Given the uncertainty of the smoke nuisance, that is likely to still be present it would be difficult to go ahead and keep the original dates for the exam. Potentially the adverse conditions could shift, based on wind movements, and disrupt the examination while in progress. We simply are not sure whether all of those who have been affected would be restored in time to take the exam and compete fairly," he stated.
The minister said the release date for the results would not be affected.
The fire, which had much of the Kingston Metropolitan Area blanketed in potent smoke up to Friday, and some areas into the weekend, impacted roughly 30 per cent of the GSAT students from 241 schools in Kingston, St Andrew, and St Catherine. more
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