Education Minister Jeffrey Lloyd.
By LEANDRA ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
lrolle@tribunemedia.net
EDUCATION Minister Jeff Lloyd revealed yesterday that the number of BGCSE students receiving A, B and C grades this year increased by more than 10 percent compared with 2019.
“We now have the results in my hands and that’s been confirmed that (we had) an almost 11 percent better performance (in) A through C grades in the BGCSE,” Mr Lloyd told reporters ahead of the ministry’s official release of the 2021 national exams results.
“Imagine that and this in a pandemic now, almost 11 percent better than 2019 in A through C which is across the grades that most people always look at.”
Mr Lloyd said there was also improved performance in the BJC examinations, noting more students were awarded A’s this year than in previous years.
“In the BJC, (we had) the highest number of students to have been awarded an A in the BJC results. Now if that isn’t excellent then I don’t know what is,” he said.
This comes after a grim performance last year, which saw worsened results compared with 2019 with fewer students achieving A, B and C grades and more students receiving D, E, F and G grades.
Yesterday, the Education Minister said despite the challenges of COVID-19, students continue to persevere.
“Keep in mind that there were many in the public domain, even some stakeholders, who were saying ‘oh the ministry should cancel these exams, the minister should cancel the exams. All y’all doing is putting these children at a disadvantage.’ But we knew better because we knew that there were students that were preparing. We knew that students had time because of school and so on and they wanted to take these exams. We were bombarded by requests by parents and students – please let us take these exams because we know that we’re going to do well, and it’s proven,” he said.
Comments
Chucky 3 years, 3 months ago
Well this says it all. The less time in class, the better the students do.
Proof at minimum that being at home is better for the kids and they learn more
Also proof, that the government’s role in education is best minimized.
Sickened 3 years, 3 months ago
Lol. You could be right. The less interaction with teachers/schools the better our students seem to do. One need to seriously study why this is. Is it because of the stresses of campus life? Perhaps the gang issues in schools? Or The keeping up with appearances is school in terms of "being a bad boy" or "the class clown" when you really want to be one of the smart kids and sit in the front row.
tribanon 3 years, 3 months ago
Lloyd is either very dumb and stupid or he thinks most of us are dumb and stupid. The better exam results are due to the significant decline in the number of students who took the BJC exams during the pandemic. Students from very poor and dysfunctional families simply did not have the computer equipment, technology assistance and/or internet service necessary to properly participate in remote learning over a lengthy period of time. Nor did they have parents who were able and/or willing to carefully oversee and assist their children with remote lessons and preparation at home for the exams.
Therefore the greatly skewed exam results that Lloyd now boasts about is actually an indicator of the greater number of children from poorer families whose education was derailed by remote teaching leaving them unable to participate in the exam process. Most of them were simply left behind leaving a smaller and better qualified pool of students to sit the BJC exams.
Sickened 3 years, 3 months ago
Fair point. How many people did take the exams as compared to previous years. Maybe only the studious kids and kids with engaged parents took it upon themselves to take the exams? This would make a great research paper for the University of The Bahamas.
WETHEPEOPLE 3 years, 3 months ago
I dont even see the since in needing bgcse to work in a hotel.
sage 3 years, 3 months ago
Now I know the Director of Education is a researcher.... his strength is that he has a strong analytical backgrowund in understanding the education enterprise. So it scares me that he would allow his minister to slash a segment of pie and present it to the country as a representative of the entrie desert.
Please compare the total population of students year over year. I suspect when you do this...there will be a significant drop in the number of students who sat national exams this year.
Please give a school by school breakdown of the percentages so that the nation will know which schools participated at which level.
Please also give island by island results also..because with Grand Bahama and Abaco facing both Dorian and COVID....thereis no way that student persormance could have been better.
If after normalizing these factors, and student performace is actually better...then we need to destroy that cabal that we call the school system because our kids dont need it to get better ....simply means ....that going into those things called schools...actual "bumbens" our children.
I cant wait for MOE's response to this.
Bobsyeruncle 3 years, 3 months ago
The bar was set pretty low to start with so I'm not sure this news is anything to shout about.
Also, what are the raw numbers ? A 10% increase from 20 is only 22 !!, The context of the 10% increase is much more meaningful when the actual numbers are also reported.
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