Students’ concerns about the accreditation of regional examinations were addressed by officials from the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) when the regional body held its first ever Students’ Forum in the auditorium of Queen’s College yesterday.
Of concern to several students was the recognition of the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) results at overseas universities.
One student indicated that he was having difficulty finding a university to accept his results and queried the usefulness of the exam if he was not going to be able to utilize it outside of the Caribbean.
The examination body was represented by Dr. Gordon Harewood, Senior Assistant Registrar, Diane Medford, Assistant Registrar, Exams Administration and Cleaveland Sam, Assistant Registrar for Public Relations. Local education officials included Sandra Kadir-Grant, Superintendant of Exams and Melecita Bovell, Assistant Chief Education Officer, Secondary Division.
Sam responded that CXC was currently working with several accreditation bodies to have the exams used for matriculation to their universities. He said that so far students have been granted exemptions and credits for courses done at the CAPE level.
The forum which was a partnership between CXC and the Ministry of Education saw the attendance of approximately seven hundred secondary school students and teachers. The aim of the exercise was to give students the opportunity to express their views and concerns about the examinations and programmes with CXC officials.
The audience was given a brief background to the functioning of the region’s main examination body and an overview of the design of syllabi, test questions, marking schemes and the determination of grades.
Sam said that the interactive session was vital since it was recognised that students knew little about CXC, except that it was a very difficult exam.
He declared that the challenge for the examination body was to secure recognition of students’ certificates so that they would be able to compete with other students worldwide.
He added that in the face of the changing world, it was also necessary to equip students with the capacity to engage in different careers within their lifetime. “It is not only based on improving knowledge but their ability to solve problems in the workplace,” he said.
Cell phones
Meanwhile, Medford said that a major problem facing CXC was that of cell phones in the examination room. “The council has declared zero tolerance on students who take these into the exam room, once found with it, either on or off, you will be disqualified from all examinations,” she said. She added that while the penalty seemed severe, it was intended to show the stance that the council had taken on the issue.
In the meantime, the representatives gave the assurance that CXC was continuously working to better the range of subjects offered to students and was willing to listen to their concerns. After the panel’s presentation, students were given a chance to voice their concerns.
When a student suggested that the GCE “A level” exam be continued until CAPE was fully recognized worldwide, Sam disagreed and said that CAPE adequately prepares the student for university life and reiterated the work being done by CXC to ensure that the exam is recognised.
Two students questioned the class size stipulation of fifteen students for subjects offered at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE). In separate comments, they opined that if the student was interested and the teacher was willing and able to provide teaching, then students should be allowed to write the subjects of their choice. However, Bovell said that the question was not one of teacher availability but the feasibility of teaching a few students, limited resources and teacher over-burden. However, she said that they would consider the views offered.
Another student queried what the Council was doing to help students with the transition from CSEC to CAPE given the depth of the programme. Harewood said that they are currently working with math students in this area.
However, he said in other subject areas it was not what CXC can do rather what was being done to make the syllabus clearer to the students. He added that what was needed was a change in attitude by students who he said needed to take more responsibility for their studies. Further, he said that they needed to realise that they must do more work on their own and not to depend on the teacher
He told the students to plan their studies carefully and to do in-depth research so as to bridge the gaps in their knowledge which would provide the foundation for their tertiary studies.
Another issue which was raised frequently was that of the awards offered by the examination council. Students questioned the criteria for determining the top student but they were reminded that the examination was not about the awards but rather education. They were also told that the council could not afford to honour every student who had done well and therefore the need for selection. It was noted that the council has approached private entities so that more awards could be offered in the future.
Harewood said that while the body recognizes those who have done exceedingly well, he wished that they could have recognised those who have excelled in spite of personal circumstances. He said that one of the pillars of the council was to ensure personal growth among students, “internal gratification is more important than a tangible award.”
On the issue of the number of subjects students should write at examinations, Bovell said the matter is engaging the council currently and recommended that students write no more than eight subjects at one sitting. She said that this number is the optimum since it would enable students to have better coverage of the various subject areas without it being burdensome.
Meanwhile, CXC has plans in the future to make examination results available electronically so as to reduce time and printing costs. Further, work is also being done to upgrade their website to one which is student friendly where all required resource materials can be obtained.
In commending the performance of Guyanese students, Harewood said that he had heard comments that the educational standards have declined in Guyana, however he said that the results here indicate examples of a good education system.
Over the last four years, Guyana has won the top regional prize as well as awards for overall performances in the areas of business and science.
It was also disclosed that this year’s Regional Top Awards will be held in Turks and Caicos in December while the local awards ceremony will be held on October 6 at the National Cultural Centre.
Yesterday’s event was broadcast live on the internet so that students from other Caribbean countries could have been involved and this is expected to become an annual feature.
