23 recommendations made
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - THE Caribbean Examination Council will meet with regional Education Ministers today (Oct. 19) to discuss the draft findings of an independent committee on this year’s CSEC and CAPE examination results, which have been embroiled in controversy.
Following today’s meeting, the Council will then make the final report on the findings public, according to CXC Chairman Sir Hilary Beckles.
“The meetings today and tomorrow will enable the review team to have the opportunity to finalise its report which we are mindful to release to the public on Tuesday following the meeting of the management with the Ministers of Education.
“The management of CXC will then proceed to roll out a public engagement strategy to begin the healing process,” Sir Hilary said.
Results from this year's examinations have been heavily criticised by education officials, teachers, students and parents owing to mix-up or ungraded results being provided.
“...we are moving quickly away from the past and into the future...And that management should seek to meet with all of our Education Ministers on Monday, and that in the interim, the CXC management should deep-dive into this draft report in order to facilitate the conversation with all our distinguished Education Ministers,” he explained.
At a regional media conference yesterday (Oct. 18), the Chairman outlined some of the recommendations put forward by the committee, including reforms of the overall examination process.
“That CXC the organisation did well within the context of the COVID pandemic to recommend and have approved and to implement an innovative modified examination strategy for the region. That the modified approach is educationally and technically sound. That the system of marking and the adjudication of performance and assessments is technically sound and quality assured,” the Chairman disclosed.
Sir Hilary indicated that the Council, following a more than three-hour meeting last Saturday, urged that CXC management address with urgency concerns and requests put forward by students and education officials concerning this year’s examinations.
The Chairman noted that the Council, also following discussions, expressed its full satisfaction with the quality of the research and the integrity of the investigation carried out by the independent committee.