Significant improvements recorded at NGSA 2024

Significant improvements were recorded for Social Studies, Mathematics, and English at this year’s National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA).

English pass rate increased to 66.79 per cent, Social Studies amplified to a whopping 62.88 per cent and Mathematics jumped from 40.36 per cent.

Meanwhile, there was a slight decrease in the overall pass rate for Science.

This was announced by the Director of Operations at the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) Dr Nicole Manning during the announcement of this year’s NGSA results.

These improved performances can be attributed to the investments and initiatives by the government to ensure that students are provided with equal access to quality education.

In her remarks, Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand underscored that the ministry will continue to provide the necessary educational resources which will help to strengthen the education system.

She further pointed out that monitoring and evaluation of the students’ performance from one grade to another is crucial since this will indicate if the teaching method is effective.

“Any movement is a good movement for us. Although I am not happy or satisfied with where we are, I do take the nod for a marginal increase…What we have to do in the ministry is to work to make sure that we are seeing consistent sustained improvements in the teaching and learning process, supported by materials so that we can see movement up that scale.

Very soon, she revealed, that the ministry will be launching an entire Mathematics intervention to achieve better results.

“This really means that more people and children to matriculating and being able to enter tertiary [institutions] and the workforce. And that is going to happen as soon as we begin September…While it is primarily aimed for the secondary [level], it has to start from the primary [level]” she explained.

Meanwhile, Dr Manning further expressed that the increased performance for Mathematics augurs well for Guyana along with CXC, noting that this improved performance for Mathematics is the highest pass rate over the last five years.

She continued, “Pleasing for us is the increase for Mathematics. This is important not only to Guyana but also to CXC. It is something that, as a region, we struggle with. And so, it is important to see this 40.36 per cent.”

This year, 15,285 pupils from the eleven educational districts took the NGSA examinations.