Wednesday, December 9 – Education officials in the Virgin Islands are high in praise for the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) and its significant contribution to the educational development of the region.
The Territory was recently honoured to host the annual general meeting of the council, a meeting which took on added significance as the council is this year celebrating its 30th anniversary.
Minister for Education and Culture Honourable Andrew Fahie told the gathering at the December 3 opening ceremony that the history of CXC is well documented and its significance should not be down played. “CXC has become a part of our educational quality assurance system,” he said, adding, “It has been a model for other agencies in other developing countries and it acts as part of the Caribbean system of accreditation, a necessary part of our global demand for standards.”
He explained that the significance of CXC also allowed for the Caribbean to have a common examination which is tailored to the culture of the Caribbean while still maintaining its international standard. “This factor underscores the significance of CXC,” he said.
CXC Registrar General Dr. Didacus Jules spoke about the future of the organisation. “Our strategic direction sought to begin the repositioning of CXC so it can consolidate and extend the considerable historical achievements in education; create new products and opportunities for the Caribbean people and leverage the power of computer and information technology to work in a different and more efficient manner,” he said.
CXC Chairman Professor E. Nigel Harris spoke about the impact that CXC has had on the lives of people. “There is no regional institution that has as much impact on the lives and future of Caribbean people as CXC,” he said.
He said the organisation really defines what young people are going to learn. “CXC not only defines what they are going to learn but also establishes how well they are going to learn it; what are the standards that students must achieve,” Professor Harris said.
He added that CXC trains teachers and that with its new technology; students themselves are able to get extra knowledge and are able to be introduced to ways of learning by interacting with the organisation via the web.
During the ceremony CXC and the University of the West Indies signed a Memorandum of Understanding for collaboration on teacher training.
As part of the commemoration of the council’s 30th anniversary of offering its first examination, which was in 1979, CXC presented a gift to local educator Mrs. Jennie Wheatley, who was a member of the first Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate English Panel for the 1979 examination.
Additionally, Education Officer Mrs. Valentine Lewis, who has been the CXC Local Registrar in the Virgin Islands for 12 years, was also presented with a plaque by Honourable Fahie on behalf of the Ministry of Education for her outstanding contribution to education.
The Caribbean Examination Council’s mission is to provide the region with syllabuses of the highest quality; valid and reliable examinations and certificates of international repute for students of all ages, abilities and interests; and services to educational institutions in the development of syllabuses, examinations and examinations administration in the most cost-effective way.
British Virgin Islands News