CXC to meet with regional education ministers regarding suspension of several subjects

By Kimone Witter    

 

The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) is to meet next week with the Ministers of Education across to region to discuss the concerns raised about the suspension of syllabus for four technical subjects.

 

The CXC says the public will be updated on the outcome of the meeting, scheduled for June 4 at 10 a.m.

 

Addressing Wednesday morning's post Cabinet media briefing, Education Minister Fayval Williams said Jamaica has reiterated to the examining body, the importance of its continued certification of the subjects. 

 

"Having registered the concerns of our principals and other concerned Jamaicans, in no uncertain terms, we will be meeting with CXC, along with other regional education ministers...to address concerns with respect to the discontinuance or suspension policy. CXC also indicated that it would like to address critical matters relating to the administration and the release of results for the May, June 2024 exams," she outlined. 

 

Minister Williams said the matter will also be brought to a CARICOM committee. 

 

"I would like to note as well that across the Caribbean, other colleague education ministers are very concerned about this discontinuance decision. And as a body, we have decided to take the matter to the Council for Human and Social Development, a committee of the CARICOM, which seeks to promote and develop coordinated policies and programmes," she announced. 

 

There has been anxiety among key stakeholder groups, including in Jamaica, since the premature release of correspondence that was addressed to the education ministers.

 

CXC announced that it will no longer be awarding certification for Green Engineering, Agricultural Science (double award), Mechanical Engineering and Electrical and Electronic Engineering, due to low enrolment.

 

But Minister Williams believes it should be left to countries across the region to decide whether the CXC should continue to offer certification for the subjects in question.

 

She made that assertion when asked whether alternative arrangements were in place should the decision to suspend the four subjects remain in place. 

 

"We recognise that there may be some additional cost to continuing those courses on the part of government, but at the end of the day, the decision I know will be for the continuance of those courses," she insisted. 

 

Mrs. Williams disclosed that at a May 21 meeting of principals, it was unanimously agreed that the subjects should stay in the curriculum.

 

She said there will be further engagement with principals to provide additional support to advance the Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) Education policy.