The Grade 10 National Written Expression Examination (WEX) commenced smoothly at Gordon Secondary School this morning, with all 386 registered students present and prepared.

Logistics for the exam went according to plan, with examination papers arriving on schedule and the exam starting on time. Both school leadership and external oversight expressed high confidence in the students' performance. Mr. Bonzak Nomsing, the external invigilator and Deputy Principal of New Erima Junior High School, confirmed that the cohort appeared well-prepared for the exam.

Gordon Secondary Principal Mr. George Kenega noted that the students' readiness was backed by solid results from two recent mock exams. "At our school, English is a strong subject," Mr. Kenega said. "When it comes to English, our students do very well. Even up to fifty students can score 20 out of 20."

However, the examination period has highlighted an ongoing infrastructure challenge for the school. To accommodate the 386 exam sitters under proper spacing and supervision guidelines, the administration had to advise its Grade 9 students to remain at home today to free up classroom space.

The spatial constraint stems from a three-year delay regarding the school’s assembly hall. The school board had previously engaged a contractor to demolish and rebuild the facility, but operations were halted three years ago by the National Capital District (NCD) Building Board due to a lack of specific clearances. Principal Kenega stated that despite the school promptly presenting all required paperwork to the building board, final approval has still not been granted.

"It’s a school hall and the school need it," Kenega explained. "Every time I follow up, they say ‘it’s with the governor, it’s with the city manager.’ I have a school to look after, and I can't be there all the time to check on all these things."

The school has had to use multiple individual classrooms over the last three years to ensure proper spacing for Grade 10 and 12 examinations. While the adjustments ensure that national examinations are conducted fairly and securely, the practice continues to cause temporary disruptions to the learning schedules of non-examination grades.

School officials hope the NCD Building Board will soon finalize the pending approvals so construction on the hall can resume.