CXC grants two-week reprieve

Despite continued pleas from students for the format of exams to be adjusted, the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) has made no significant changes to its 2021 examination process, except to delay the start date by two weeks.

CXC’s Registrar and chief executive officer Dr Wayne Wesley, this afternoon revealed that the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exams (CAPE) and the Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Level Competence (CCSLC) would be administered in their original formats beginning June 28.

He said this included Paper 1 which contained 60 multiple choice questions, Paper 2 which requires all questions are to be answered, along with the School-Based Assessments (SBAs).

“Council approved the delay of the sitting of the regional examinations by a further two weeks. This will provide candidates with extra time to prepare for their examinations. Examinations will commence on Thursday, June 28, 2021, with release of results the last week in September to the first week of October as previously communicated,” Dr Wesley disclosed.

He also pointed out that consideration would be given during the grading process to account for the likely psychosocial impact on students’ performance to ensure they are not disenfranchised.

In a surprise revelation, CXC chairman Professor Sir Hilary Beckles, said the decision was fully supported by the majority of governments and education ministers across the region, the Caribbean Union of Teachers (CUT) and students.

According to Sir Hilary during a recent special meeting hosted by the Council for Human and Social Development ( COSHOD), stakeholders from across the region including the CUT, education ministers and other government representatives, students and teachers, expressed their concerns and views about the 2021 examinations.

He said the COVID-19 pandemic, the state of emergency in Trinidad and Tobago and the eruption of the La Soufriere volcano in St Vincent and the Grenadines had all been taken into consideration by CXC.

“These were the early, clear and pressing issues that really made it clear to us that there had to be an adjustment in the timeframe. Some countries wanted a little more than two weeks, some wanted three weeks, some wanted five weeks, so there was this diversification based on the specifics of each country’s position.

“We all realized practicality was necessary but a different kind of practicality. We had to be practical in each domestic environment in each country but we also had to realize there was another level of practicality where we have to deliver an examination system across the region,” Sir Hilary explained.

“There were also some countries that said ‘we are ready now’, in fact, probably the majority of the countries were saying ‘we are ready now and we don’t want to delay’ but they recognized the specifics of other countries that really did need more time for their students.”

Sir Hilary maintained that CXC was not “tone deaf” and was acting in the best interest of students.

He said this was evident in the fact that less than five per cent of CSEC students (13, 655) had deferred while less than .1 per cent of CAPE students (1090) had so far sought deferrals.

“CXC executes examinations on behalf of this region under the Treaty of Chaguaramas but our Council is made up of all of our contributing governments, so when a decision is taken it’s taken as a result of consensus by the governments of this region who are responsible for their citizens,” Sir Hilary said.

On Monday, UNICEF issued a statement urging CXC not to go ahead with its 2021 exams in the current format.

When asked if those concerns had been taken into consideration, Sir Hilary said he had spoken with representatives from UNICEF on the matter.

He said he was “surprised” UNICEF had issued the statement without discussions with CXC.

“We did see the UNICEF release and I did speak to a UNICEF official this morning about this matter. Clearly what UNICEF was doing was reflecting their own broad policy concern about the children of the region and I took pleasure in informing them that we were in the middle of those conversations and were committed to the fairness principle.

“…This morning I was able to say to them that basically we are on the same page but we are going forward with our examinations and the fairness principles will absolutely be at the centre of all we do,” Sir Hilary said.

The CXC Registrar said contingency plans were in place in the event situations worsened in some territories in the next two weeks.

He said CXC was “willing and ready” to help in whatever way it could.
(randybennett@barbadostoday.bb)