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Give PEP A Chance to Succeed – Education Minister

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JIS: Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, is urging all stakeholders to come together to ensure the success of the Primary Exit Profile (PEP).

 

He said it is important that the new assessment “is given the chance to succeed.”

 

“This is a new system and there will inevitably be things to iron out. However, together we can address these in a spirit of cooperation and partnership. So while it is (the Ministry’s) responsibility to ensure that implementation of…PEP is successful, as stakeholders, we all must collaborate to achieve the desired outcomes,” he said.

 

Senator Reid was addressing a sensitisation and consultation session for teachers at the Brown’s Town Community College, St. Ann on Wednesday (September 12).

 

PEP, which will replace the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) as the national secondary-school entrance test, is intended to provide a better and more complete profile of students’ academic and critical-thinking capabilities at the end of primary-level education.

 

It comprises a Performance Task, Ability Test and a Curriculum-based Test. The first sitting of the examination will take place in 2019.

 

Minister Reid said that the Ministry will continue to host teacher sensitisation sessions and workshops across the island in order to ensure a greater degree of comfort with the assessment.

 

He said that acceptance and support of the changes is important in enhancing the teaching-learning process.

 

PEP is part of the implementation of the National Standards Curriculum (NSC), which places emphasis on project-based and problem-solving learning, with science, technology, engineering and mathematics/science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEM/STEAM) integrated at all levels.

 

“During the past year, the Ministry completed the phased implementation of the NSC, which started in 2016 after two years of piloting,” the Minister informed.

 

He noted that more than $200 million was provided to schools to execute the new curriculum.

 

“We have started the distribution of the full curriculum publication to our schools for each teacher. This will be completed by this week,” the Minister indicated.

 

CAPTION: Education, Youth and Information Minister, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid.