Submitted by Anthony Davis
In the fourth and fifth paragraphs of the Barbados Today ‘Glitch in CXC Maths Paper’ article it states:
“One parent who complained that her son was ‘distraught’ when he came out of the examination room, said he didn’t complete the paper because it was ‘numbered incorrectly…”It was out of order, and when he put up his hand to ask the invigilator a question she asked him if he was slow. So I contacted parents that I know who had students also did it (wrote the Math paper) from other schools, and everybody had the same thing that the paper was in a mess,” she said”.
Pray tell me, is an invigilator only there to look pretty?
It’s an invigilator’s job to assist those who are taking exams in whatever way he/she can. That invigilator was therefore way out of line by not trying to assist that student. Worse yet was to ask him if he were “slow”.
As far as I recall, we in Barbados have gone beyond that line of thinking!
The question here is also whether she gave that answer because it was a male student, as some females do not know how far to carry their feminism.
I would suggest that his parents write a letter to the Ministry of Education with a copy to the head of the invigilators and state his case against said invigilator because he couldn’t complete his paper as she didn’t have the right attitude for the job. She hasn’t the stuff of which invigilators are made. It’s obvious that if they don’t have any patience and exhibit it in front of students then the students will become flustered.
How will those students be graded now?
Will the young man – and other students – get a chance to take the exam again?
Methinks that the exam should be set for another date so that students can have the opportunity of having the pages in the correct order.
It would be only fair to the students and their parents/guardians
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