Friday, December 4- The 41st Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) Annual General Meeting opening ceremony beamed with proud parents, educators and officials as 15 students from around the region received awards for their outstanding academic performance.
The ceremony held last evening at the H. Lavity Stoutt Community College’s Auditorium brought together an array of CXC and local Government officials, overseas guests and local educators. CXC Registrar Dr. Didacus Jules told the gathering that over the past 30 years CXC has certified over five million Caribbean people and that he was honoured to celebrate with this year’s top awardees. “You who are here tonight represent that very fine panicle. You have defined that major of excellence for the cohort of 2009,” he said.
CXC Chairman Professor E. Nigel Harris also joined the Registrar in congratulating the students for their achievement. “You are truly the best of the best,” he told the students, adding, “this particular occasion is really designed and organised to congratulate you, acknowledge what you have done and wish you well in the future.”
Professor Harris also congratulated the students’ parents and teachers and he told the awardees “without them there will be no you.”
Minister of Education and Culture Honourable Andrew Fahie told the students that they must not just get an education but that they must become “educated”.
He said, “The Caribbean is struggling because we have to understand not to allow students’ learning to only lead to knowledge but to also lead to action.”
“Education is good, getting your degree and certificate from CXC and learning and excelling are good but an educated person takes knowledge and turns it into action to help mankind and generations to come,” he added.
He urged the students to take the knowledge that they have acquired to change the Caribbean region economically, socially and put it to new heights which have been never seen. “Use your knowledge to transform the Caribbean region,” he encouraged.
The overall most outstanding Caribbean Secondary Examination Council (CSEC) student, Miss Kia Persaud of Queen’s College, Guyana thanked the Minister for his words of inspiration which she said left a lasting impact on them. “We assure you that we will focus our efforts on becoming educated and that we will turn our knowledge into action,” she said, adding, “we will prepare for opportunities which may come to us in the future so that they will not pass us by.” The Queen’s College of Guyana received the CSEC top school award for the fourth consecutive year.
From 1998 to 1995,ten students in the Virgin Islands have received CXC awards in the following categories Regional Business Education Student, Outstanding Performance, National Award, Most Outstanding Student and Recipient of CXC prize. In 2009, 144,000 candidates sat CSEC and 25,000 sat the Caribbean Advance Proficiency Examinations.
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