“The history of the Caribbean Examina-tions Council cannot be written without the name Archibald Moore occupying a stellar position. Very often when people talk about the establishment of CXC, they speak about William Demas and Prime Minister the Right Excellent Errol Barrow of Barbados. However, it is safe to say that without the ground work of Archibald Moore there may not have been a CXC today. Such was the critical nature of his contribution.
At the Meeting of Ministers of Education of Commonwealth Caribbean countries and university representatives,
held in Jamaica on 10 November, 1969, it was recommended among other things that: “the Guyana Government might second a suitable officer to the Regional Secretariat to undertake preparatory work, and that the Secretary-General might seek the approval of the next meeting of the CARIFTA Council for such action.”
The recommendation in respect of the secondment of a suitable officer to the Regional Secretariat was approved by the Fifth Meeting of the CARIFTA Council of Ministers held early in January, 1970.
Enter Mr Archibald Moore! On 2 March, 1970, Mr Moore, Superintendent of Exami-nations, Ministry of Education, Guyana, assumed duty at the Regional Secretariat to undertake preparatory work in connection with the establishment of the Caribbean Examinations Council.
From all reports, Mr Moore carried out his duties relentless. Mr William Demas, in his address at the Inaugural Meeting in 1973 stated, “…I would like to pay public tribute to Mr Archibald Moore, the Secretariat’s Education Adviser, for the untiring energy and dedication which guided his efforts on behalf of the Secretariat to have the Caribbean Examinations Council successfully established.”
In keeping with the terms of his assignment, Mr Moore prepared two working papers which were circulated to regional Governments during the month of March, 1970. Paper 1, entitled “Proposals for the Organisation of Preparatory Work to be Undertaken in Connection with the Establishment of a Caribbean Examinations Council’, presented proposals for the setting up of certain interim arrangements in the Territories and the establishment of machinery for communication between the Regional Secretariat and the Territories on matters relating to the preparatory work. Paper 2, entitled “Proposals for Positive Action towards the Establishment and Functioning of a Caribbean Examinations Council”, attempted, on the basis of the time-table of action drawn up by the officials’ meeting of September, 1969, to programme the tasks needed to be performed in order to establish the Examinations Council and make it operational.
In preparation for consideration of the entire project at the Sixth Conference of Heads of Government of Commonwealth Caribbean Countries, a further revised Draft Agreement was circulated to Governments.
In preparation for the Sixth Conference of Heads of Government of Commonwealth Caribbean countries, it was also arranged for MrMoore to visit some of the Territories to discuss with education officials the implications of the two papers circulated earlier. He visited and held discussions with education officials in Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados and Jamaica.
CXC was therefore an agenda item at the Sixth Heads of Government Conference, held in Jamaica in April, 1970. Two working papers prepared by Mr Moore were presented to the meeting: the revised Draft Agreement and a Report on his discussions with education officials in the territories he visited.
A Meeting of Commonwealth Caribbean Ministers of Education and University Representatives took place in Barbados in June, 1970. This meeting took some far-reaching decisions where regional cooperation on education is concerned. One resolution which was passed at the meeting was the establishment of an Education Desk at the Regional Secretariat. “the Desk was tasked with “identifying areas for regional cooperation in education and to coordinate activities in such areas.”
With effect from 1st July 1970, an Education Desk was established within the Regional Secretariat with provision for an Education Adviser, one clerk and one Stenographer.
Naturally,Mr Moore took up the position as Education Adviser.
Responsibility for the activities connected with the establishment of the Examinations Council was assigned to the Education Desk as part of a programne of Regional Cooperation in Education and he worked with regional governments and other education stakeholders through to the inaugural meeting on 11 and 12 January 1973.
Speaking at the opening of the inaugural meeting, Mr Moore said the meeting signified the formal commencement of the operations of CXC, and “represents a significant new development in the history of education in the Commonwealth Caribbean.”
REFERENCES
Commonwealth Caribbean Regional Secretariat, November 20, 1972: A Review of Developments Leading to the Establishment of the Caribbean Examinations Council
Demas, W.: Address at the Inaugural Meeting of the Caribbean Examinations Council, 11 January 1973
Moore, A.: A Brief Historical Background, 11 January, 1973
Reprinted from The Caribbean Examiner:
A publication of the Caribbean Examiner Council
Vol. 11 No. 1 May 2013
