Parents blast dept for ‘rushing’ exams

MANY parents of Grade 12 students in Eastern Highlands and Chimbu say the Education Department did not give their children enough time to prepare for examinations.
Parents said the extended election activities in the two provinces had disrupted students’ preparations for the exams.“It’s only two weeks after the end of the election activities, the students should have been given ample time to prepare,” Jonah Pepe, father of a Grade 12 student at Lufa Secondary School said.
He said the students had been on an extended holiday and had just gone back to school and for the examination to come so suddenly was unfair.
Mary Porepa, whose daughter is at Goroka Secondary,  said: “If my daughter fails this exam, I will blame the department for rushing the exam and not giving them more time to study.”
A group of Grade 12 students from Goroka Secondary School said because of the rushed exam, they feared they might not do as well as they should.
Joe Kaia, the father of a Yaweh Moses Secondary student, said his son had only returned to school after missing classes in fear of clashes between tribal groups of rival candidates.
A senior officer from the Chimbu education division said they had no option but to adhere to instructions from the headquarters in Port Moresby.