#BTEditorial – CXC moves merrily along, while students struggle

The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) is again under fire for its seeming inflexible posture when it comes to the setting of examinations.

From outside looking in, it appears the Barbados-based examinations body, which is an organ of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), is ignoring the very constituency it was created to serve – the students of the region.

Is it a fair criticism? When teachers, parents and students from across the Caribbean form an alliance to pressure the CXC to be more compassionate and empathetic to their collective circumstances, one cannot help but believe there is merit in the criticism.

One of the most vocal advocates for the students’ cause has been Barbadian parent Paula-Anne Moore, who has not been shy in her public reprimand of the examinations body and has gone as far as to challenge CXC in the court of law with others.

But even she has been confronted by the brick wall of silence and seeming obstinance of CXC. The agency has used its cloak of legal protection very well.

Teachers too have joined the chorus begging the examinations body to give greater consideration for the plight of students in Barbados and across the region.

For while a few students whose parents have the wherewithal to assist them may be ready for May-June exams, the vast majority of students are grossly unprepared. And the CXC knows this.

The situation was emphasised by president of the Barbados Secondary Teachers’ Union Ms Mary-Ann Redman. She revealed recently: “The present fifth-formers would have last been exposed to a full year of face-to-face instruction in second form. They are the ones that for the last two years, would have been tutored mainly online. And the present lower sixths, many of them only started school after week seven in some instances, and week eight of last term because, of course, CXC results were late.”

Though politicians have been late to the game, it was laudable that Jamaica’s Minister of Education Fayval Williams was prepared to go on the record, indicating that the Jamaican government was entering talks with CXC to postpone the administration of this year’s Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC) sitting because of school setbacks amid COVID-19.

“We will continue to be a strong advocate for our students as the days and weeks go by. We understand how important these exit exams are and we also understand the hurdles that our children have had to overcome as they come back into the face-to-face environment,” the Jamaican Minister said.

Schools in Barbados have only recently resumed face-to-face classes and teachers are rightly fuming that the examination body was prepared to go ahead with exams as if there were no COVID-19 pandemic, adverse weather systems, and no volcano eruptions.

In February, many were stunned by the announcement from CXC that the exams were on track to be administered in May and June. As if oblivious to the current situation facing the entire region, CXC said the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) and CSEC timetables had already been published.

It was CXC’s way, it would appear, of saying to us: “like or lump it” the exams are to be written come hell or high water.

In fact, despite attempts to return to some form of normalcy, we in Barbados are experiencing another COVID-19 wave of infections, fuelled by the BA.2 subvariant of Omicron. We have no idea what the situation will be like next month or in June.

We are still to hear a definitive position from our Minister of Education Ms Kay McConney. However, we expect that our education officials will defend the rights and interests of our young people who have been through one of the most traumatic periods in their student life.

In contrast, it was most interesting to learn that another regional body has recognised that so much has changed in the educational sector in the region. The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) in a statement today said it was funding the special development training for 15 000 educators across the Caribbean.

Aware that COVID-19 has so negatively impacted students, the Bank said the training was specifically designed to “assist students in overcoming the learning losses occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic”.

The regional financial development institution said the programme is to “increase equitable access to quality education and training, enhance learning outcomes for all, and increase students’ capacity to meet grade level expectations”.

Maybe the folks at CDB in Wildey, St Michael ought to call their colleagues over at CXC in the Pine to have a discussion on how to assist our children in overcoming the challenges of the past two years. Maybe CDB officials can convince CXC to have a heart.