KINGSTON, Jamaica – Education Minister Senator Ruel Reid has commended teachers, principals, invigilators, and ministry officials for efficiently administering the 2016 sitting of the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT).

According to a press release issued today by the Ministry of Education, the no-show of four invigilators — due mainly to illness — did not affect the smooth running of the examination on its final day.

Stand-by invigilators were used as replacements at the affected centres in Region One (Kingston and St Andrew) and Region Two (St Mary, Portland and St Thomas).

In addition, the ministry said that they dispatched a special-needs invigilator, on request, to Hope Valley Experimental School in St Andrew.

During the two-day examination, six unregistered students arrived and were allowed to write their papers.

A total of 39,129 students were registered to sit the examination. They wrote the mathematics and social studies papers on Thursday, and language arts, communications task and science on Friday.

Special accommodations were made for 394 students with special needs.