As the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) results are released to schools today, the Ministry of Education has reminded parents and guardians that transfers for students are not normally accommodated.

However, the education ministry said in a release yesterday that where parents or guardians have genuine reasons, such as relocation from one area of the country to another, they can ask for transfers, but they are not to approach the ministry as a first step in requesting one.

Approach schools

The ministry noted that parents or guardians who want to move their children from schools to which they were assigned are to approach the school they want their child to attend, and seek the institution's acceptance.

The education ministry said if the child can be accommodated, the parents or guardians are to get an acceptance letter from the principal. They are then to get a release letter from the school at which the child was placed.

The parents or guardians should then send a copy of the acceptance letter, a copy of the release letter and a copy of a letter of request asking for approval of the transfer to the senior education officer, secondary, in the regional office. A letter of approval will then be sent by the Ministry of Education to the parents or guardians and copied to the accepting and releasing schools.

Each year, parents who are dissatisfied with the schools in which their children are placed seek to obtain transfers.

Scholarships awarded on the basis of performance in the GSAT and on criteria established by sponsoring bodies will be published within two weeks of the release of the results.

The GSAT results will indicate the grade-seven placements assigned to all 47,815 candidates who sat the examination in March.

petrina.francis@gleanerjm.com

Scholarships awarded … will be published within two weeks of the release.