Granger suggests new Election Date to avoid imminent CAPE, CSEC clash

By Tracey Khan – Drakes

[www.inewsguyana.com] – The clash between regional and general elections with the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) and the Caribbean Secondary Certificate Examination (CSEC) has raised major concerns among political parties.

Opposition Leader David Granger has since suggested that President Donald Ramotar change the election date from May 11.

“It is obviously an error or I would say a blunder because now that it has happened, the PPP is trying to correct that mistake and they probably didn’t put enough thought into it,” Granger told Reporters on Wednesday, January 21 at his Hadfield Street, Georgetown Office.

The Opposition Leader does not believe that the date for the examinations should be changed, since it is traditionally written around May of each year throughout the Caribbean.

“Maybe the President had better announce a new date rather than try to change the date of the examination, in fact the date has not been proclaimed as yet as elections day meaning you still have time to correct it.”

Concerns continue to mount about the President’s decision to hold elections on May 11, and its possible ramifications for the examinations throughout the country.

The concerns were raised since a significant number of schools are used as polling stations on elections day and more so since the PPP has called for the elimination of private residents being used as polling stations.

Efforts by iNews to contact officials from the Ministry of Education and the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for a comment on the issue proved futile.