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All schools will be closed on Monday and Tuesday, Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw announced Saturday evening amid hurricane recovery efforts and examination preparations.
Students are to report for online instruction on Wednesday and Thursday while arrangements are being made for Class Four students taking the July 28 Barbados Secondary School Entrance Examination and secondary students sitting the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) examinations.
Bradshaw told a news conference: “Class Four students at the primary level, we will again make accommodation for them to do face-to-face [classes] once everything is cleaned up and they can return once everything is done, hopefully, Wednesday and Thursday.
“We also have some students who are sitting examinations for CAPE [Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination] and CSEC [Caribbean School Education Certificate]. Next week exams will continue as scheduled.”
The education minister said the ministry was in talks with the CXC in light of the hurricane’s impact promising to provide further details on Sunday.
She said: “We are in discussions with CXC because we recognise obviously that this is an unprecedented event.
“We recognise that many of the students may have been impacted because of the issues with electricity or inability to get to the various centres and as a consequence, we are speaking to them in relation to what may happen next week so I will be in a position by tomorrow to further update.”
But Bradshaw said where school halls are in good condition, the exams can proceed, giving an assurance that students who have challenges will not be prejudiced in any way.
