Parents of the 19,656 students sitting the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA) today are being reminded to re-emphasize the three W’s to their children to wear their mask, wash their hands, and watch their distance.
President of the National Primary Schools Principals’ Association (NAPSPA), Carlene Hayes stated that “The health and safety of all students, teachers and principals will be top priority.”
Parents will have to fill out a pre-entry protocol questionnaire as they drop off their child and the NAPSPA head appealed to persons to answer “honestly and accurately.”
The one-page document consists of four questions that seek to ascertain if the student or anyone in his/her family has experienced symptoms during the last 14 days, including fever, chills, body aches, sore throat, nausea/vomiting, cough, headache, diarrhoea, fatigue, loss of taste/smell, runny nose, and shortness of breath.
The questionnaire aims to find out if people have been placed in self-isolation or subjected to a quarantine order; and if the student or the family has been in contact with anyone who is COVID-19 positive within the last 14 days.
Proof of release is also required from those who were under quarantine.
Regarding the exam today, pupils will be tested in the areas of English Language Arts Writing (50 minutes); Mathematics (75 minutes); and English Language Arts (75 minutes) – with a 30-minute break.
This year’s exam has seen a reduction in the content and curriculum coverage as well as in the number of items that have been placed on the paper.
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