The Barbados Secondary School???s Entrance Examination (BSSEE) papers for 2001 to 2014 are now available for purchase at the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Elsie Payne Complex, Constitution Road, St. Michael.
This was revealed today by Chief Media Resource Officer of the Media Resource Department (MRD), Walter Harper, who noted that the Mathematics and English booklets could be purchased at $25 each, from the Examinations Section of the Ministry, by first making a payment to the Accounts section.
The books are also on sale at primary schools across the island.
He said in the past, copies of the examinations ??? also known as the 11-Plus or Common Entrance ??? had been produced, and within the last eight years, the MRD had made them into a book.
???But we have not been able to satisfy the demands that are being made for these books ??? Common Entrance Maths and English. What we did in collaboration with the Exam Section was to be able to put it together in an official book with the help of Coles Printery.
???We made 4,000 copies of Mathematics and English and that should satisfy all of the students for Common Entrance next year,??? said Mr. Harper, adding that about 3,600 students were estimated to sit the BSSEE in 2015.
Pointing out that the Ministry saw the book as a permanent record where students would be able to complete an exercise, the Chief Media Resource Officer noted that the children would have the result there before them to carry home to parents and their teachers could make reference to these.
Acknowledging that the next step would be some type of online facility, the Head of the MRD disclosed that his department was also looking to produce other books, including a workbook and another Common Entrance book in English and Mathematics.
With 40 per cent of the books already sold, Mr. Harper is urging parents to purchase the two texts that allow their children to practice for the Common Entrance Exam, and preferably do so through their primary school.
The publication of the past papers is expected to be an annual exercise and next year???s book is expected to feature papers from 2002-2015.
joy-ann.gill@barbados.gov.bb