Incoming government put on notice

The administration that will form the new Government is being put on notice by one advocacy group that it will be strengthening its push for reform of the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) processes.

Warning of the need for “fundamental reform of CXC’s governance and regulation”, the Group of Concerned Parents for Barbados and the Caribbean Coalition for Exam Redress led by parent advocate Paula-Anne Moore, said if not done then the reputation of the region’s children will be at risk.

“We will hold the next Government of Barbados to the commitment that justice will be obtained for our nation’s disadvantaged children regarding their 2020 – 2021 erroneous CXC grading. And we parents and students, will vote or not, accordingly,” the group promised in a statement, ahead of the January 19 poll in which Barbadians will elect a new Government.

For the past two years, the group has been advocating on behalf of children who sit the CXC examinations for there to be a review of the process for grading and the tardiness in handing out grades, which it argued have had a deleterious impact on students.

The group has also been calling for CXC to improve the quality assurance of its grading output, transparency, better communication to the public and greater engagement with its stakeholders.

Moore thanked the staff of CXC for “trying their best” during the challenging period of the COVID-19 pandemic, adding: “We are proud of the international reputation that CXC has earned, as a regional institution and wish to assist it in living up to that legacy.”

However, indicating that “external independent regulation” is essential to achieving this, Moore added that “our nations’ parents also need to be more visibly engaged in advocating for their own children. “There is strength and power in numbers. Our commitment is to continue our advocacy – national and regional.”

The parent representative explained that advocacy will continue for those disadvantaged by the “flawed” 2020 – 2021 CXC grading, for fair and reasonable CXC 2022 exam preparation in the third academic year of a pandemic and for permanent reform of the regional governance of, accountability, stakeholder engagement and communication by CXC.

“If there isn’t fundamental reform of CXC’s governance and regulation, our children’s future, our future, and our regional brand and reputation are at significant risk,” she warned.

Lauding the recipients of the 2021 Barbados Scholarship and Exhibition, Moore said it was somewhat a bittersweet moment, given the numerous challenges and that some students were still awaiting “justice”.

The group also acknowledged the support of parents, families and teachers and thanked the former Government for going through with the awards and not reducing the number of awards despite the “pandemic-related fiscal restraints”.

“First we would like to recognise and salute all children who had to write school exit exams in 2020-2021 during this incredibly stressful pandemic environment. They tried their best, showed a maturity far beyond their years and must be fulsomely commended.

“Special congratulations and commendation must be extended to the 2021 national academic awardees. To excel in their studies and write in-person exams during the emotional, mental economic and, for some, health challenges of the pandemic, are incredible achievements,” said Moore.

However, she added, “If one is empathetic and unselfish, celebration of our national awardees is bittersweet. Justice remains elusive for too many children, nationally and regionally, due to the still unresolved 2020 CXC grading fiasco, the underlying causes of which, as we warned, manifested yet again in too much 2021 CXC flawed grading, the latter of which led to the significant delay in the 2021 national awards.”

She said the group was of the view that Government could have amended the criteria for the scholarship and exhibition awards for 2020-2021 in acknowledgement of the “massive, unprecedented challenges” of the pandemic and its impact on education, and the clear, well-documented, still unresolved CXC grade compression and other problems in 2020.

“Still, we are heartened by former Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw’s public call for reform in the governance of CXC and her leadership in ensuring that the united views of all education stakeholders – students, parents, teachers and principals – were endorsed by the ministry and presented to CXC,” she said.
(MM)