Haunted by her error in the recently concluded Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), the presiding examiner at the centre of the controversy is begging for one thing: forgiveness.

The veteran examiner was delisted for interfering with the proceedings and misleading students at St John's Primary in Spanish Town, St Catherine, during the communication task component of the exam. The education ministry's decision to blacklist her came after an investigation was conducted into the breaches.

In a letter, written by hand and addressed to the ministry's student assessment unit, the examiner asked the students and their parents to pardon her.

Troubled by actions

In her plea, the examiner revealed that her actions, which resulted in the students writing wrong answers on their paper after some of them were forced to comply, troubled her ever since the breach occurred.

"It (has) been haunting me ever since, because I messed up and caused the (students) to do the wrong thing."

She added: "I am really sorry and I apologise with my whole heart for the mess that I have caused at the centre and to the children, the teachers ... the children's parents, myself, the invigilators, and everybody."

In a ministry report on the irregularities, it was noted that the examiner did not want the children "to feel that because of her actions, they did not get placed where they wanted to go".

It also stated that she did not want them to disrespect her or point her out on the road when they saw her.

Too late to do anything

After the error was pointed out to her by another invigilator at the centre, the presiding examiner said it was too late to do anything about it because she had already sealed the papers.

"I could not go and let them do the correction (and) because of my panic, I did not remember to put it in the report to send to you," read another section of the letter.

The examiner, who has been invigilating exams for 14 years, wondered if the late March 2009 sitting of the GSAT would be her last.

"I don't know if this will cause me to lose (my) chance at presiding again."

Her fears were confirmed by Colin Blair, director of communications at the Ministry of Education, who reiterated yesterday that she would not be allowed to preside over the GSAT any time soon. He also revealed that similar punitive measures had been taken against the other invigilators who were present at the centre.

"They won't be considered for other sittings of the exam in the near future," Blair said.

tyrone.reid@gleanerjm.com