Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination (BSSEE) 2024: Smooth Start as Thousands of Students Sit for the Exam

The 2024 sitting of the Barbados Secondary Schools’ Entrance Examination (BSSEE) got off to a smooth start this morning.

Thousands of students accompanied by parents and guardians arrived well ahead of time to write the exam at the island’s 21 secondary schools.

Minister of Education, Technological and Vocational Training Kay McConney, who got a first hand look at preparations at the Princess Margaret Secondary School where 198 students were set to take the test, was satisfied.

She told parents on the outside, “I spoke with the invigilators, I spoke with the students from Princess Margaret who are actually helping out with the children and will take them to the bathroom and assist them with whatever they need at the respective time. Everybody seems settled.

“I am sending prayers for every single child, whatever they do is good enough for us,” she said.

According to the ministry, 3 011 students were set to write this year’s exam, including 1 493 males and 1 518 females. Eighteen student requested permission to sit the BSSEE at an early age (10 years old), while 100 students requested a deferral. There were 48 requests for exemption.

The ministry said it received 183 special requests, ranging from scribes to large print. Some 136 non-nationals were also set to take the test.