Students call for CXC watchdog

Hundreds of secondary school students in Barbados and the rest of the region are recommending the establishment of a permanent independent body with the authority to address any future concerns of people sitting examinations administered by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC).

The recommendation is contained in an open letter and accompanying petition to the Barbados-based CXC, Minister of Education Santia Bradshaw and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat in Guyana.

Creator of the petition and author of the letter, 18-year-old former Queen’s College student and CXC candidate Kimesha Harper said many of her peers had asked her to start a follow-up petition to the first – now with 19 000 signatures – which demands a review of the 2020 CXC CAPE and CSEC results due to “false” and “mock” grades.

Harper said the second petition along with the first have been submitted to Minister Bradshaw, the CXC and CARICOM Secretariat, calling for the formation of a Regional Student Interest Group.   

She and her peers agree that the latest petition with about 600 signatures so far is intended to provide a “critically thought out resolution to the problem at hand.”

“We agreed that creating a team of people qualified and tasked to deal with the academic protection of regional students would be proactive, given that we have had to deal with similar issues repeatedly; however, never on this scale,” the disgruntled CXC student declared.                                                                                                                                           Harper said she was dissatisfied with the conduct and outcome of the recent press conference which was held by Registrar of the CXC Dr Wayne Wesley.

During that media briefing last Friday, while students in Barbados held a peaceful protest, Dr Wesley strongly defended the organisation’s grading system, stating that the Council had done a good job of grading papers, and insisting that it was yet to receive any formal complaints from students.

But in her open letter dated September 25, the Barbadian teenager called on the CARICOM Secretariat to intervene as an institution dedicated to improving the quality of life of all citizens in the region and one that is concerned with the cohesion and cooperation between Caribbean institutions and the people they serve.

Harper wants the Secretariat to request CXC to undertake a thorough investigation into and a reassessment of the exam results and provide the public with a detailed explanation as to how differently grading was conducted this year as opposed to previous years.

“And I also ask that you accept the petitioned proposal for the formation of a Regional Student Interest Group, whom any future educational concerns of this nature may be delegated to and mandated by.

“I propose that this be a team of qualified officials whose primary objectives are regional student academic interest, productivity and protection. Such is critical at this time, because although many of these objectives are the responsibility of the Ministries of Education, the actual student voice too often goes completely unheard, especially now as we are denied our

request by the CXC and have remained uncompensated, despite the public, parents, teachers and education officials alike declaring that there is definite cause for concern,” said the spokesperson for hundreds of students across the region.

“Therefore, it is my belief that a group like this should exist as a solution and as a means by which students and parents of students of the Caribbean can express their grievances of this nature to the people with the authority to enact the requisite changes but also to a group of person who will take them seriously. Should a regional cohort like this already exist, I ask that you spotlight it during this period and make it as accessible to the regional public as possible,” Harper added.

In the part of the open letter directed to Bradshaw, Harper called the Education Minister to make CXC “completely” accountable if it is to remain the external examining body for secondary school students in Barbados.

“There is simply too much money, time, and effort invested in our education for issues of this scale and magnitude to be simply overlooked by any institution with investment and integrity. If you do not pressure the CXC for an investigation, you let down the many hardworking teachers who have input countless hours into our education and all those working behind the scenes,” Harper stated.

She said these include institutions and people like Bradshaw, along with thousands of students who are “devastated” – and avoidably so – due to not receiving their “rightful” grades.

“And now [the students] stand to lose important, long sought-after and very much well-deserving opportunities in the midst of an already devastating pandemic. So, I urge you, please hold the CXC accountable,” the students’ spokesperson urged the Minister of Education.

CXC Chairman Professor Sir Hilary Beckles announced late yesterday evening that the board would conduct an independent review, following a meeting between registrar Wesley and regional Ministers of Education to discuss the concerns.

He said an Independent Review Team would be installed in short order.

Sir Hilary noted that while the management at CXC has been impressive in the delivery of the July regional exam within the context of COVID-19 logistics and must be commended, maintaining the public’s trust in the institution was paramount.

“Nonetheless, it was anticipated that given these specific challenges, a period of review and possible revisions would follow, consistent with the regulations of the Council. It has been agreed, therefore, that an Independent Review Team will shortly begin this work and present a report for discussion with relevant stakeholders,” he pointed out.

However, this evening, Harper told Barbados TODAY she was not altogether happy with this because Sir Hilary’s announcement lacked details on how the probe would be carried out.
emmanueljoseph@barbadostoday.bb