EDUCATION Minister Dr Nyan Gadsby-Dolly on Thursday, June 27, welcomed the results of this year’s Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) Exam as “steady” but Tabaquite MP Anita Haynes-Alleyne said this view was “overly optimistic.” Haynes-Alleyne worried about the fate of low-scoring pupils now facing entry to secondary school.
The results showed the average pupil scoring a modest 50.7 per cent in Mathematics, on par with 50.4 per cent last year and well up from 41.9 per cent in 2022.
English showed two sharply divergent trends. On one hand the English Language Arts Writing (“essay”) average score rose significantly to 59 per cent from 53.4 per cent last year and 44.3 per cent in 2022. However, the English Language Arts (“comprehension”) score fell substantially to 53.4 per cent, from 61.6 per cent last year (and 44.3 per cent in 2022.) All three bands of pupil performance saw a decline, but it was very slight and less than one per cent.
Firstly, the number of top pupils (scoring over 90 per cent) fell to 1.42 per cent from 2.11 per cent last year (and 0.47 per cent in 2022). The number of reasonably good pupils (scoring over 50 per cent) dropped to 57.91 per cent from 58.06 per cent last year (and 37 per cent in 2022). The number of low performing pupils (scoring under 30 per cent) worsened slightly to 14.39 per cent from 13.55 per cent last year (compared to 27.81 per cent in 2022.)
A ministry statement said mean scores in 2024, when compared to 2023 and 2022, showed “a generally encouraging trend” with regard to student performance.
The similarity of the students’ performance in the past two years showed a “steady and stable recovery” from the effects of covid19, the statement said.
The ministry said it continued to monitor pupil performance and provide the Remedial Education Programme in 80 primary schools of focus. This programme provides the After School Support Education Programme, plus dedicated school social workers, guidance officers, special education officers, and learning support assistants.
“In 50 per cent of the 80 primary schools of focus, there has been an increase in the average weighted score of the students. Also, in 45 per cent of those schools, there was a decline in the percentage of students scoring 30 per cent and lower in SEA. This adds credence to the efforts of the Remedial Education Program of the ministry, which has been approved to continue in both primary and secondary schools of focus until 2025/26.”
[caption id="attachment_1092905" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Anita Haynes-Alleyne -[/caption]
Congratulating SEA pupils, the ministry reminded their parents the Secondary Vacation Revision Programme, starts at 21 centres across Trinidad on July 15. “The Ministry of Education urges parents of all eligible students to ensure that their children attend this programme, which is designed to provide support for a successful transition from Primary to Secondary School.” Details are available via the ministry online. Gadsby-Dolly, via WhatsApp, welcomed the results.
“The
