Minister: Maths not adding up

For the last ten years, almost half of those taking mathematics in the Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination have failed.

Minister of Education Kay McConney made the point during a press conference yesterday to announce the results of the May 7 exam, also known as Common Entrance or 11-Plus. She also pointed to a drop in the national mean.

The top performers this year were Aryanna Bascombe of Providence Elementary School and Finn Graham of St Winifred’s School. They scored the same – 99 in mathematics, 96 in English and an overall score of 246.81 with an A in composition. Bascombe will be attending Harrison College and Graham Queen’s College. There were 12 early sitters.

McConney said there were still too many under-performers, as she revealed that five students scored zero compared to four last year; no student scored a perfect 100 in English compared to one last year, and the national mean was 65.2 compared to 69.5 in 2023.

The minister said that, over the past decade, an average of 22 per cent of those who took the exam scored below 50 per cent in English and an average of 46 per cent scored below 50 per cent in maths. (CA)

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