Carisa Lee
Reporter
carisa.lee@cnc3.co.tt
Apart from a bushfire that caused a slight delay at an exam centre in the Caroni Education District, yesterday’s Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) exam was incident-free.
This was confirmed by Education Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly in a release after the exam.
“The successful oversight of 547 examination centres for the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) would not have been possible without the support of the ministry’s diverse stakeholders,” Gadsby-Dolly said.
She said the 17,937 pupils who sat the exam—9,095 boys and 8,842 girls—included 407 students in Trinidad and 29 in Tobago who were given concessions.
Trinidad and Tobago Unified Teachers’ Association (TTUTA) president Martin Lum Kin and National Parent-Teacher Association president Walter Stewart also reported the exam went smoothly.
“We had been told, however, that there was a bushfire in the Caroni Education District and the students who were close to the precincts of that bushfire had to be relocated but this was done calmly,” Stewart said.
He said the affected students were given the time they lost to finish the exam.
Before the scheduled end of the exam at 1 pm, anxious parents gathered outside exam centres.
At Newtown Boys’ and Girls’ RC Schools on Maraval Road, Port-of-Spain, some parents waited to greet their children with balloons and flowers.
Once the exams were over, there were scenes of jubilation as proud parents greeted the relieved SEA candidates.
Many of them left to take part in what has become a well-established tradition of celebrating the end of the exam at fast food outlets, malls and entertainment centres.
Newtown Boys’ RC pupil Kadyn Cameron said the exam was easier than the practice tests.
“The practice papers, the section three was just ridiculous, like even my father was having problems solving the questions,” he said.
Cameron said he was relieved the exam was over.
Newtown Girls’ pupil Kamyah Sylvester said she was stumped by one question in the mathematics paper but other parts of the exam were manageable.
She said she is looking forward to resuming sports and other fun activities in the coming months, as well as a later bedtime.
“My new bedtime is like 12 ‘o’clock now,” she declared.
Scores of pupils converged on MovieTowne at Invaders Bay to take advantage of post-SEA offers from various business places.
The Nelson Mandela Park in St Clair was also a hive of post-SEA activity, as Bmobile debuted its “Blast OFF” event, an all-inclusive cool down for students, teachers and parents. Students accompanied by a parent or guardian were granted free access to the event upon presenting their SEA slip.
Bmobile explained in a media release that “Blast OFF” was designed to celebrate academic achievements and the dedication of families who supported the students.
Parents and teachers at the event were pampered with massages, facials and even a barber zone. For the students, there were arcade games, inflatable obstacle courses, carnival games, laser tag, and other activities in addition to free food, prizes and giveaways.
There was even a special performance by soca artiste Iwer George to close the event.
TSTT CEO Kent Western promised there would be another Blast Off in 2026.
“It was a real opportunity for Bmobile to get involved in a community level and start to celebrate these kids ... and I’ve got a son who also did SEA today so it’s a bit of a celebration myself,” he said.
The Education Ministry said the exam results will be available for viewing and downloading from the SEA portal during the first week of July.