ICFES postponement
The Education Ministry accompanied by the Colombian government cancelled indefinitely the ICFES national test for Calendar B institutions as the Covid-19 continues to expand in the country, one day before the due date.
The tests that were scheduled for this Sunday, March 15 will have to be postponed throughout the national territory.
The ICFES, the initials of Instituto Colombiano para la Evaluación de la Educación, is an autonomous entity attached to the Ministry of Education, responsible for evaluating educational levels and performing state tests of knowledge.
On the afternoon of March 14, the Canadian School, represented by Eliana Arias, leader of the academic field, sent a statement to grade twelves warning of the situation and of measures to be taken hours after the government’s announcement.
Similarly, the board of directors of the school was evaluating the alternatives for the future reschedule of the test.
Jose Miguel Tobón
Estudiante 12
Since September of last year, many students have been preparing for the exam through extra classes on Saturdays or other private institutions. Besides, the school provided two preparation tests to measure the level of their grade 12 students and their knowledge capacities; one in November and the other one in February. The results, not those expected by the teachers, yielded a poor average score between all the students.
All the students, some more excited than others, were looking forward to presenting the ICFES and being able to complete a graduation requirement. They even arranged to throw a big party in a disco with other calendar B institutions after finishing the test. It could be said that most of them wanted to go to the party since they wanted a space for celebration and fun after taking an arduous task. Mateo Ríos, a 12D student, said: “my only wish for ICFES day is to finish it fast and to be able to party with my friends to celebrate such an achievement”. This was one of the multiple and similar opinions most grade twelve students had.
Nonetheless, with the continued development of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country, the national and local governments had to take strict measures to prevent its spread, one of them being the cancellation of face-to-face classes for all institutions and the postponement of the ICFES tests. After the announcement, everyone was very confused because in the history of the country something like that had not happened. The students were even upset since they wanted to finish it in the early months so they could concentrate on other graduation requirements, vocational search, and university entry. Mariana Ramírez, a 12C student, said “I want to get out of this responsibility quickly because I have to focus on other aspects of my life and this really stresses me out”.
Mariana and Mateo are some of the many students who wanted to do the ICFES, party and keep in mind that they had already finished with an academic responsibility, but due to the Covid-19 situation, their desire will need to be postponed.
The Canadian School is waiting for any national decision and will choose to protect and safeguard the life and health of its students. The decisions of both the government and the institution will be referred to in the school media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, website and email. Also, ICFES has a service line to answer any questions to parents and students themselves about the test and its possible date. How long will this situation last?