ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Just one month after the 2012 Common Entrance Exams were administered, the Ministry of Education will be holding a press conference at 10 am to officially release the results.

This year 1,581 students from a number of private and public schools around the island sat the examinations and results, according to ministry personnel, should be in the hands of principals as early as noon.

This should be the last time sixth graders will sit the Common Entrance Exams, since the country is moving towards Universal Secondary Education, which should be implemented next year.

In an effort to accommodate the number of students who will make the transition from primary to secondary school, the ministry last year transformed the Irene B Williams School into a secondary institution.

In an earlier interview with OBSERVER Media, Minister of Education Dr Jacqui Quinn-Leandro pointed out it would be necessary to have an assessment to replace the common entrance exams. She added the ministry was looking at a number of options.

“We are also looking at the CXC Primary Exit Exam. They just did a pilot in Grenada and Anguilla and that was one of the things that was presented to us at the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean (OECS) Ministers of Education meeting. So all of those are matters we are looking at.”

Dr Quinn-Leandro also noted that the format of the replacement assessment would help to be determined by the results of the 2012 exams.

This year, students should be placed into secondary schools based on the zoning system.