KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) – Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, says the government is considering legislation to govern how national examinations are conducted.

This, he said, is due to the numerous complaints the Education, Youth and Information Ministry continues to receive.“The Government has a role and probably should intervene. Many of these examinations lead to national certification and we need to be able to verify that they have gone through a process that is fair and transparent,” he said.The prime minister’s announcement came during a rap session with students at the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies yesterday, following his induction into the institution’s Honour Park.Holness noted that a policy on national examinations will first be developed, in order to guide the proposed legislation.Education Minister, Senator Ruel Reid, told JIS News that the ministry will be “enunciating the policy (come) September” and, thereafter, will “develop the legislation”. “We have to have the legislation to govern how people operate and how exams are administered. We have to put a structure in place to make sure that there are clear guidelines on how the conduct of those exams will be done,” he said.Reid informed that a private-sector education and training alignment committee will be established in order to uncover the skills needed for certain sectors and align them with the proper training. During the rap session with the students, the prime minister and Senator Reid fielded questions on a number of issues, including the funding of tertiary education, and how students could gain valuable experience after graduating from university.President of the UWI Mona Guild of Students, Mikaela Gonzales, expressed gratitude to the prime minister for listening and responding to the calls of help from finalising students regarding the payment of outstanding tuition fees.The Education Ministry said that 329 final-year students owe the UWI approximately $45 million. Earlier this week, Reid announced that provisions will be made through the Jamaica Values and Attitudes Programme (JAMVAT) to cover the $9 million owed by 225 students, who benefit from the programme.The remaining $36 million will be facilitated through a fast-track Students’ Loan Bureau (SLB) application process.