Senior Reporter
dareece.polo@guardian.co.tt
There was a marked improvement in grades among pupils across Trinidad and Tobago who wrote the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) exam this year.
According to the Ministry of Education (MoE), 11,015 students passed the test out of the 18,797 who wrote mathematics, creative writing and language arts. Close to 400 of those students scored above 90 per cent while 2,547 students ranked below 30 per cent.
Last year, 5,306 students scored less than 30 per cent among the 19,079 who wrote the exam. That same year, 7,071 pupils obtained SEA success, marking a 37.06 per cent pass rate. In 2021, 10,259 of 19,544 students passed.
The mean Mathematics score for 2023 stood at 50.4, creative writing at 53.4 and language arts at 61.6.
“These mean scores in 2023, when compared to 2022, show a marked improvement in the performance of students. In 2022, the mean Mathematics score was 41.941. Similarly, the mean English Language Arts Writing score was 44.339 and the mean English Language Arts score was 44.397,” the MoE said.
According to Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly, “The improvement in student performance at SEA 2023 was expected, due to the physical return of students to the classroom, and the interventions of the Ministry in addressing learning loss through the implementation of the Remedial Education Programme in 80 primary schools.
“This programme includes initiatives such as the After School Support Education Programme (ASSEP), assignment of dedicated School Social Workers, Guidance Officers, Special Education Officers, and Learning Support Assistants. While the results show that these efforts are beginning to bear fruit, these initiatives must be sustained consistently over the next five years to effectively mitigate the effects of learning loss.”
Problems accessing online results
While many had something to celebrate, up to 5 pm some parents were unable to access their children’s results. This was lamented by the president of the National Parent Teachers Association (NPTA) Kevin David.
“It seems as though the site was overwhelmed by the many responses or rather requests that were being made of it at this point in time. We have not been able to get an official report stating the reasons why,” he said.
Furthermore, the union said it remains disappointed that the top SEA student was not being recognised.
“The organisation sees no reason why. This is something that we have all been accustomed to in terms of paying our respect to those who have done well in the exams,” he said.
When asked for comment on reports of the results portal crashing, Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly shied away from the issue. Instead, she spoke about the savings the MoE incurred by going digital.
“The cost saving to the MOE and the taxpayer is significant, and the receipt of results in the privacy of the home is much appreciated by parents and students alike,” she said.