Students of the Mahdia Secondary School are being allowed to write the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations in January 2024. So said Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, earlier this week. This delayed sitting is as a result of a fire, on the evening of May 21, 2023, at the female dormitory that resulted in the death of 20 children, including a five-year-old boy, the son of the dorm mother, injuries to many and destruction of the building.
The minister advised the ministry has offered the option of writing in January which some students chose, whilst others felt they need to write it now.
According to her, the decision when to write the exams was a choice between the students and their parents”,
“Children who chose to write it now, we facilitated that with a caveat, but if after the results are out, and they want a second chance, they will get that, although we don’t usually do that in public schools,” Manickchand added.
It was also advised the government is working to provide possible options for the students of Mahdia Secondary.
The minister stated that students have expressed their hesitancy and incapacity to return to school, and the ministry is exploring alternative options for accommodating them in a comfortable and safe manner.
Meanwhile, the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) on June 7 via a Facebook post stated that June 19 has been identified as the alternative examination date for Guyanese students to write Office Administration (OA) Paper One, as a result of the Local Government Elections (LGE) on June 12.
