The Ministry of Education yesterday conceded that it made a mistake when it decided against recommending the Scotiabank Jamaica Foundation Scholarship to the student who had the highest score in the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) last year.

At the same time, the Government is to introduce legislation to address examination security and plagiarism in universities, among other things.

The child's mother took the ministry to court after it claimed there was a possibility that the student could have been exposed to the test paper, which was allegedly leaked to the homework centre she attended.

No evidence of claim

Justice Bryan Sykes on Friday ruled against the ministry, saying its actions breached the rules of natural justice and that there was no evidence that the student had been exposed to the paper.

"We accept, obviously, the ruling of the court; it is groundbreaking and, therefore, provides effectively a guide for future action in this area," Maria Jones, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Education, told The Gleaner yesterday.

petrina.francis@gleanerjm.com