PARAMARIBO – Education, Science and Culture Minister Henry Ori on Tuesday announced that the ministry would keep a close eye on schools that do not follow the rules and give certificates to pupils who have passed the 8th grade.

“The ministry makes the rules and if you do not want to listen, you will face the consequences,” said Minister Ori who added that firm action would be taken against school principals who do step out of line. “We always prefer dialogue but the instructions are loud and clear. Last year we had the same problem but things went smoothly as a result of consultations. I do not know why they are making a big fuss about it this year. This is the course that we have chosen,” said Minister Ori. Helima Poese, the director of AVO, explained that the exam that the 8th graders take is only aimed at determining the education gaps which is why it is not allowed to issue a certificate. The assessment exam is given in the 10th grade to determine which direction each student must go in the education system. This also means that the tenth graders are given a certificate if they pass the exam. “At the start of this school year we informed all of the nation’s primary schools not to issue any certificates but to issue a statement instead because the children continue their primary education at another school. The ministry still does not have any schools with buildings for the first until the tenth grade,” said director Poese…[+]