00:00Today in Tobago we have the problem of parents showing up with their children to settle them
00:08in for exams and they don't have enough clocks so that these children who were approved to be
00:15tested under special arrangement can have their exams done. So as we speak the rest of the school
00:24start doing the exam the other children start doing the exam and we are scampering looking for clocks.
00:31Parents calling the division of education looking for clocks. Mrs. Cajol Lewis said she was notified
00:38of this development by concerned parents in Tobago who complained that an adjudicator stated no clocks
00:45no exams. So today the adjudicator walks into the room and tells this parent and student no clock
00:53no exam. Actually then they were trying to call division of education trying to get a clock.
01:01Can't get on to anybody to get a clock. The other children started their exams but the children who
01:09are there under concession cannot start their exam because there is no clock or there isn't sufficient
01:16clocks. Kajol Lewis said parents told her they had to leave their personal watches for their children to
01:23ensure they were able to sit the exam. She is calling on the THA's division of education to do better.
01:30Ladies and gentlemen, Tobago Indians, we have to do better than this. We can do better than this. This
01:38cannot be accepted. We know or the Tobago House of Assembly Division of Education knows ahead of time
01:46how many students were accepted based on concessions. You know ahead of time how many children you have to
01:54make arrangements for. So on exam morning, SEA exam morning, a day that is so important to these little
02:01children. You can't have little children who are already being tested under special conditions in the
02:09room by themselves. They can't start exam while the others have started. They are nervous because there
02:16are no clocks for them to do their exam. In response, the Division of Education classified the video by MP
02:23Chamfer Joe Lewis as erroneous. The Division of Education said, quote, the Division of Education wishes
02:29to assure and reassure parents and guardians and the national community that the 2025 Secondary Entrance
02:38Assessment SEA examination commenced on time and simultaneously across all examination centers in
02:45Tobago. Recent comments circulating via a video from the Honorable Minister of Sport and Community Development
02:52have sparked concerns about the absence of clocks at some venues, potentially delaying the start of
02:58the exam. We wish to clarify that this information is erroneous, end to quote. The Division of Education
03:05said all examination centers were fully equipped ahead of the scheduled start time. It further stated that
03:12each trained invigilator was provided with timekeeping devices to ensure accurate monitoring of the exam.
03:20It assured that there were no reported delays in the commencement of the examination.
03:26The Division of Education explained that candidates with approved special concessions,
03:31such as extra time at the start of their exam, was aligned with the national schedule.
03:38It urged the public to remain calm and trust that the integrity of the SEA examination process
03:44remains intact. Elizabeth Williams, TV6 News.
03:50That's the majorink of a lot of use of the testing and management of the requirements of the
04:05tests. Elizabeth Williams, TV7 News.
04:06That's a good problem.
04:07And that's a good thing to do.
04:08It's really a good thing to do.
04:09It's really a good opportunity to make sure to make sure that the effectiveness of the
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