ST. GEORGES Grenada, October 28th 2011 - Shadow Cabinet Member with responsibility for Education, Mrs. Delma Thomas is calling on the Tillman Thomas Administration to ensure that no student is denied an opportunity to sit CXC exams next year, because they are unable to make payments for those exams today. 

The Ministry of Education has given persons today as the deadline to pay for the exams. However Mrs. Thomas noted that the current economic situation has made it very difficult for some parents especially those who have lost their jobs and have been struggling to meet their basic needs.  She added that an unemployed single mother with a child sitting exams will have to find a total of $409.00 if that child is taking seven CXC subjects.  She is concerned that some parents have been encouraging their children to reduce the number of subjects they take for fear that they won’t be able to afford the cost.

In this regard, she said “The Government should try to help as many students as possible to ensure that no student is denied an opportunity to sit the subjects they are capable of passing.  While it can be argued that parents could have saved for this expense for the last five years, many parents had not anticipated nor were they prepared for the economic recession the country now face.”

Commenting on the Government’s decision to refund monies to students who passed more than 8 CXC subjects she said, “While this may be a good incentive for parents to push their children to work hard, I believe it is far more important at this time to focus on ensuring that every child is able to pay for the exams today. No child should have to pay for subjects based on what his parent can afford but based on what he is capable of sitting”. 

She concluded that tremendous savings can be made in areas such as travel so that additional resources can be obtained to assist these students both in the formal education system and those who may be privately trying to develop themselves academically.

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