Education Minister Encourages PEP Students

To boost the confidence of students sitting the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) Ability Test, today (May 26), Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Fayval Williams, visited two primary schools in her St. Andrew Eastern constituency to give a pep talk.

The two schools were New Providence Primary and Hope Valley Experimental Schools.

At New Providence Primary, Mrs. Williams told JIS News that she feels comfortable with the process in which schools are administering the first PEP Ability Test to approximately 37,000 students in face-to-face modality.

“The preparations started from last year. As January rolled around, there were meetings and considerations… and we took the decision, based on the pandemic that we are in, to only do the Ability Test,” Mrs. Williams said.

“You can see that the teachers and principals know what they are about, students as well as parents. The classrooms are well-prepared, the invigilators as well, and so everything looks in place as far as I can tell,” she added.

Mrs. Williams said the regions will report back to the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information about how the sitting of the examination took place in each school and they will be informed of any abnormal situations or problems at the schools.

Schools were first ordered to stop face-to-face classes in March 2020 in an effort to reduce the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). However, in the last two weeks, numerous primary schools reopened their doors for the resumption of face-to-face classes to help students prepare for the PEP Ability Test.

Principal, New Providence Primary School, Olga Robinson Clarke, who was the chief person doing temperature checks for everyone entering the school, told JIS News that her team took the necessary steps to prepare the school property for the return of the students and to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

She was excited that Minister Williams chose her school as one of the stops to boost the confidence of the 98 students who are sitting the exam at New Providence Primary School.

“It’s very nice that she came today,” the Principal said.