NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Minister of Education Jeffrey Lloyd announced yesterday the BJC (Bahamas Junior Certificate (BJC) and Bahamas General Certificate of Secondary Education (BGCSE) examinations will resume this month.
The exams will be held between September 14, 2020 through October 2, 2020.
Exams were previously suspended due to a spike in the spread of COVID-19.
Lloyd said at the time he announced the exams were to be suspended, he made clear that the suspension was not a cancellation and encouraged all candidates to continue their preparation for the exams.
“I also informed parents, students and all others that this suspension was not a time to relax efforts toward exam preparation,” he said during a Ministry of Education press conference where he underscored the exams serve as “substantial credentials” for students.
Lloyd said the schedule of the exams will be published this week.
However, the minister said if the exams were interrupted once more before completion, the exams will be cancelled.
“I should make it clear, though, that this is the last time we will re-start the administration of the national exams,” the minister said.
“If for any reason — any reason whatsoever — that the exams are again interrupted, before its completion on Friday, October 2nd, they will be cancelled.”
He continued: “The Examination and Assessment Division will prepare new general timetables to be issued to schools and unattached candidates.
“The timetables will be placed in the local print and electronic media, published this week Thursday.
“No new individual timetables will be printed.
“Students will be advised to use the general timetables and mark on them the dates and times for their various examinations.”
Private invigilators will assist with the administration of the examinations.
According to the minister, marking of the already sat examinations in July will begin on Wednesday and the results of the exams are expected to be released at the end of November.
According to education officials, students who have already been accepted and enrolled to the University of The Bahamas will still be able to take the examinations which they have paid for.
Asked about the integrity of the exams as they had taken earlier by groups of students, education officials said the integrity of the exams remains intact.
Under Secretary Serethea Clarke said: “Those exams have been placed under tight security in the various schools where they are being kept. We don’t have any concerns at this time to say they have been compromised.
“The papers for which the students would have completed, those are also secured so that when marking begins, they would not have been tampered with by anyone.
“So, at this stage, we do not have any reason to feel as though the exams have lost any integrity or any of the papers compromised.”
