School hopes to pass 50pc students

AT least half of the 177 grade eight students from Hagara Primary School in Port Moresby are expected to pass this year’s examinations and move on to grade nine, the head teacher says.
Henao Koregai said even though the school faced challenges such as shortage of stationery, materials and infrastructure coupled with the general restrictions and protocols for the Coronavirus (Covid-19) and the disruption caused, teachers had prepared the grade eights well for the exams and more than half were expected to make it to grade nine.
“I have 177 students sitting the exams today and I expect at least half of them to make it to grade nine next year,” Koregai said.
He said they had allocated five classrooms for exams to ensure enough social distancing and other protocols such as hand washing and mask-wearing would be observed.
He said classes for the lower grades had been suspended with homework and exercises given for them to do at home.
“I expect all the students from prep to grade seven who are at home to do their homework and assignments prepared by the teachers,” Koregai said.
Hohola Demonstration Primary School head teacher Brian Ovia said of the total 345 grade eight students he expected more than 200 to continue to grade nine next year.
“We have issues with funding and Covid-19, but teachers have utilised whatever resources available and we expect 150 to 200 students to continue to grade nine in 2022,” he said.
He said the week off for the lower grades would not impact their learning for the fourth term.