Wednesday, June 25, 2014 - 9:56am - Parents, teachers, students and family members of our primary five students, as Minister for Education and Culture, I am pleased to offer congratulatory remarks to those primary school students who were successful this year. Throughout the Territory, a total of 375 students sat these exams; 317 were successful and 58 were unsuccessful. This shows a pass rate of 84.53%.
The following is the breakdown of the primary five results for all schools.
On Jost Van Dyke:
- Jost Van Dyke Primary had 3 students sitting the exams; 2 were successful.
On Anegada:
- The Claudia Creque Educational Centre Primary Division had 7 students sitting the exams; all were successful.
On Virgin Gorda:
- Assembly of God Cornerstone Primary had 10 students sitting the exams, 9 were successful.
- Little Rainbow School had 8 students sitting the exams, 5 were successful.
- St. Mary’s School had 2 students sitting the exams, who were both successful.
- Robinson O’Neal Memorial Primary had 12 students sitting the exams; all were successful.
- Bregado Flax Educational Centre Primary Division had 15 students sitting the exams; all were successful.
On Tortola,
- The Agapé Total Life Academy had 8 students sitting the exams; all were successful
- Alexandrina Maduro Primary had 14 students sitting the exams, 9 were successful.
- Althea Scatliffe Primary had 87 students sitting the exams; 70 were successful.
- BVI Seventh-day Adventist Primary had 24 students sitting the exams; 22 were successful.
- Ebenezer Thomas Primary had 23 students sitting the exams; 20 were successful.
- Enis Adams Primary had 19 students sitting the exams; 15 were successful.
- First Impressions’ Primary had 6 students sitting the exams; all were successful.
- Francis Lettsome Primary had 26 students sitting the exams; 22 were successful.
- Isabella Morris Primary had 17 students sitting the exams; 10 were successful.
- Ivan Dawson Primary had 16 students sitting the exams; 15 were successful.
- Joyce Samuel Primary had 18 students sitting the exams; 13 were successful.
- Leonora Delville Primary had 11 students sitting the exams; 9 were successful.
- St. George’s Primary had 25 students sitting the exams; 22 were successful.
- And Willard Wheatley Primary had 22 students sitting the exams; all were successful.
Michael Chen and Guillaume Parkins who are both male students, are respectively the highest achievers on the primary five exams. Both students attend the First Impressions’ Primary School. Congratulations to both of these students and I encourage them to continue to achieve with excellence as they move on to secondary school.
This year, there were 24 students who qualified to take supplementary examinations; 10 were successful.
I offer congratulations to all principals, teachers and staff of our primary schools. Thanks for your commitment to our students and their education. Your tireless work has not gone unnoticed. I would especially like to congratulate the principals, teachers and staff of the eight schools in our territory in which all students were successful in the primary five exams. Those schools are: Agapé Total Life Academy, Bregado Flax Educational Centre, Claudia Creque Education Centre, First Impressions’ Primary, Robinson O’Neal Memorial Primary, St. Mary’s Primary, Valley Day School and Willard Wheatley Primary. While we celebrate our students, we also celebrate all teachers and their contribution to their success.
To our students who will be moving on to secondary school, I can assure you that high school will not be a walk over; it will be a challenging experience for you all. You will meet lots of new teachers and new school mates. There will be new ways of doing things. Make the most of your secondary education. Accept the challenges and commit yourselves to your studies.
To the 58 students who were unsuccessful this year, I encourage you to use this unsuccessful event as a springboard to progress. Reflect on the situation, identify ways to improve your academic performance, create a plan for success and stick to it.
As was done for the first time last year, those students who are ages 11 – 12 years will have the opportunity to return to primary schools to improve on their skills before going on to secondary school. Those students who are already 14 years will be registered in the remedial programmes which exist at the public secondary schools. Those students who are 13 years will have the option to remain at the primary level to further build their skills, or be registered in the remedial programme at the secondary level.
I am also pleased to remind the public that this marks the last year that our students in the Territory will be sitting the Primary Five examinations as the ‘measuring stick’ for continuing onto secondary school. Beginning next school term, as was previously announced, the Ministry will be implementing Key Stage Testing as the key assessment tool.
It will be introduced at the primary level in the core subjects of Mathematics and English, before it is implemented at the secondary level. By 2016 it is hoped to be in full effect in the core subjects of Mathematics, English, Social Studies and Science at both primary and secondary levels.
Key stage testing will shift the focus for our Territory wide exams from being an assessment for placement to an assessment for mastery of the necessary knowledge and skills required at the key stages.
The Ministry of Education intends to promote ‘natural learning’ to show mastery of content so that students when promoted are skilled, can compete and show that the Virgin Islands education system is one to be reckoned with.
As Minister for Education, I will endeavour to find appropriate opportunities to provide equitable education for all students of this Territory.
I fervently believe that all of our children are blessed with gifts and talents that can be developed for them to make a positive contribution to our community. My challenge and the challenge of our education system, is to develop ways to foster those talents and bring out the best in all of our students.
I want to take this time to encourage all parents, family members and friends of our students who will now be moving on to secondary school to remain as cheerleaders and supporters of those students and show the same enthusiasm for their academic progress now that they will be moving on to high school.
These early adolescent years are crucial in helping them to develop a positive attitude of self, their education and ultimately what sort of contribution they will make to our community, professionally and socially. Parents, be positive examples and role models for your children. Pay attention to your child’s academic progress; study with your child, know your child’s strengths and weaknesses and build relationships with their teachers and the school community.
As we are now fully engrossed in the 2014 graduation season, as a community, let us all continue to pray and ask God’s blessings on all of our students.
Once again, to our primary five graduating classes of 2014, congratulations!
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