Future of 11-Plus exam to be decided soon | Loop Barbados

Black Immigrant Daily News

The future of the Barbados Secondary School Entrance Examination (BSSEE) also known as the 11-Plus or Common Entrance Exam could soon be sealed.

Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw made the revelation while speaking to the media at the Springer Memorial Secondary School today after meeting with students at the exam centre.

“I am well aware that the paper on the reform [of the education system] has been finally completed, and is before the Prime Minister for consideration and then on to Cabinet. So, I can expect that those decisions will be made very shortly,” she disclosed.

The former Minister of Education, detailed that the Mia Mottley-led administration has made efforts to gradually reform the education system, with the introduction of robotics, and the widening of the school curriculum to include technical and vocational skills.

“We have been talking with the principals trying to get them to understand that we have to create specialist institutions. Looking at what their strengths and weaknesses are so that children and parents start to make decisions on which school to go to. Not on the basis of which grandparent or parent went to school there but they start to make decisions based on the fact that they have an interest and they have a skill in a particular area or they are an academic in a particular area. So once that process has started and it is ongoing, I believe that we will get to the point that there is greater acceptance in relation to the abolition of the Common Entrance in due course.”

She acknowledged that though the groundwork has been done, changing the mindset of Barbadians will take some time. The Deputy Prime Minister voiced that the transformation will not occur instantly.

“People feel very dear and near to the Common Entrance Examination. It is what we all have grown accustomed to and in order to make that transition, you have to change mindsets you have to improve the schools. We had to put in place the Director of Educational Reform to work with the various institutions [and] educators in order for us to make that transition so I would say it is not an overnight process,” she remarked.

She added that Education Minister Kay McConney will give the announcement on the abolition of the Common Entrance in due course.

“The pandemic really set us back in terms of our conversation with the public but that didn’t mean that behind the scenes the work was not going on to position ourselves to be able to make that transformation.

“I believe that at the appropriate time the current minister will make the announcement in relation to the final date for the Common Entrance but until then I think we just have to reform and transition education generally in Barbados,” said Bradshaw.

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