Exams tampering claims by WIN candidate dismissed as ‘reckless’ and ‘reprehensible’

The Ministry of Education has strongly rejected claims made by political candidate Amika Lewis that the government tampered with the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) results of her late niece, Adrianna Sueria Younge.

In a Facebook post on Monday, Lewis — the candidate for the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party — accused the Minister of Education and the PPP/C government of dishonesty. She alleged that Adrianna had initially been awarded a place at St. Joseph High School, but that her results were later changed. Lewis claimed that the family received two different candidate numbers — one on Adrianna’s original exam slip, and another from the ministry after the child’s death — suggesting that this was part of an effort to manipulate her results.

“There is nothing honorable about the members of the PPP/C party especially the Minister of Education,” Lewis wrote. “Imagine robbing the dead to look good or rather, to not look bad.” She added, “Let’s now await the statement from the minister,” followed by an eye-roll emoji.

In a press release today, the ministry described Lewis’s statements as “a most unfortunate and fallacious statement… clearly meant to excite emotions by exploiting the death of an innocent child.”

“This is reprehensible and has serious consequences,” the ministry said.

It explained that Adrianna had been registered to write the NGSA at Meten-Meer-Zorg Islamic Academy but was later transferred by her parents to Parika Salem Primary School. Because the change occurred after official registration, Adrianna wrote the assessment as a “walk-in candidate” at her new school — something the ministry says is entirely allowed.

“When this happens, a different candidate number for this different exam centre is issued to the candidate on the exam day,” the ministry stated.

In response to Lewis’s allegation that the ministry manipulated results, the statement emphasised that all NGSA processes are managed by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), not the ministry. Since 2016, CXC has been responsible for setting, administering, and marking the NGSA.

Each child’s Paper 2 answers are marked in Guyana by multiple examiners — with a different person marking each individual question. “Each child’s scripts are marked by at least 13 people as each question is marked by a different person seated at a different table in different rooms,” the ministry explained. “Each child’s scripts are then re-marked by at least another (and a different) 13 people who are not at the same table or even necessarily in the same room.”

Meanwhile, Paper 1 — the multiple-choice portion — is sent to Barbados and marked electronically by a machine.

“Changing a grade would require the collaboration of an enormous amount of professionals inside and outside of Guyana. It simply is not possible,” the ministry declared.

While not revealing Adrianna’s placement or score, the ministry addressed speculation around this year’s top results. “The child who topped the country did not drop a single mark. She earned 100 per cent,” it said. “The bar was set high, and the reality is that anyone who lost more than 13 raw marks, relative to subject performance, could not get into any of the national schools in 2025.”

However, the ministry made it clear that it would not confirm or discuss Adrianna’s specific academic record: “We will not divest ourselves of the responsibility we have to maintain confidentiality of children’s scores and/or their academic history to make a point or at all.”

The ministry further warned that Lewis’s public remarks could have wider implications: “If one were to bring into question CXC processes and qualifications, then one would be bringing into disrepute and into question every single Guyanese and Caribbean citizen or person who ever got CXC qualifications and certificates.”

Calling the comments “selfish and reckless,” the ministry accused Lewis of jeopardising the credibility of regional education standards “for some cheap political points.”

Finally, the ministry urged all political candidates to be measured and responsible in their public remarks, especially during the current election period: “Our children deserve no less.”

Adrianna Younge died in April at a hotel in Tuschen under circumstances that sparked widespread public outrage, protests, and calls for justice. Her family has continued to press for answers and has commissioned multiple independent autopsies. The investigation remains ongoing.