A plethora of mixed feelings and emotions are running through the nation’s Primary school students and teachers as the time to sit the Caribbean Primary Exit Assessment (CPEA) quickly approaches. The exam is scheduled for Thursday 17 & Friday 18 May 2018 throughout 52 centers across Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique.

Around this time of the year, primary school students in Grade 6 and others sitting this exam, are normally filled with anxiety and sometimes frustration as the time draws near. However, the students have been working extremely hard with the help of their teachers and parents, as everyone wants to further themselves and enter into a secondary school of their choice.

Since the introduction of the CPEA in 2012, there have been fluctuations in the results and number of students sitting and attaining passing grades. The CPEA assess the literacy of students upon exiting the primary school system and focuses on four main areas, namely Mathematics, Language Arts, Social Studies and Science.

In 2016 1955 students sat the exam, this included 941 males and 894 females. The overall number of students sitting the exam in 2017 decreased by 42; with an increase in the number of males (1037) and a decrease in the number of females (876). This year, 2026 students have registered to sit the exam.

The Barnacle News Team engaged a few students and teachers to get their feedback on their feelings towards the exam. A number of teachers across the tri-island state, they have indicated that they are quite confident in their students’ ability to be successful in the upcoming exam.

Speaking briefly to the Barnacle, was Ms Cassandra Smith, Grade 6 Teacher of the Alpha Junior School. According to her, most of her students, though anxious, are prepared and have set goals on attaining the first choice of secondary school. Alpha Junior school has been known to have over a pass rate of over 98 percent for a number of years, and last year two of their students topped the CPEA.

Last year, the Ministry of Education announced that the decision to place the top 300 students in their first school of choice was made after regional surveys and observations were completed. Whether or not this is still in place for this year, is yet to be confirmed by the relevant authorities at the Ministry of Education.

Probing more into Ms Smith’s feelings about her class and their anticipated performance in the CPEA, she stated that “by God’s grace, they are striving to do [well] again,” and she believes that they will.

Another teacher in one of the schools on the western side of the island, told the Barnacle News Team that her class is just about 70 percent ready. As a result of the magnitude of time lost due to sports, elections, school repairs and illnesses including Red Eye, the school is not as prepared as they would have been in previous years.

One teacher from a school in St George’s, informed the Barnacle News Team that although he is somewhat confident, and he knows that they are a bit nervous, he tries to “instill in them that it is just like all [of] their other exams.”

Students throughout the island are seemingly excited and anticipating this next juncture of their lives. A group of students told the Barnacle News Team that they felt like they needed to work harder at the English aspect. According to one outspoken child who stood among the rest, “Maths is my favourite subject and it’s easy, English is not.”

Students can be heard almost everywhere, on buses, in town and at their homes excitingly discussing which secondary schools they want to attend upon successfully passing the CPEA. Some boast of assistance they receive from their older siblings, parents and classmates all of whom wish them the best.

The Ministry of Education, particularly the Curriculum division, though understaffed, continues to work assiduously with the students, through the implementation of numerous in the primary schools from Grades 1 to 6. They have noted that there is a need to improve the writing and oral expression components of the students and have implemented initiatives to stimulate their interest in Language Arts. Hopefully, these programmes will yield even better results for the nations’ students as they embark on another phase of their educational lives.