A day after the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) said that it employs multiple security measures to safeguard the integrity of its examinations, it yesterday reported a major breach in Jamaica where fireproof cabinets with exam papers were stolen.
Yesterday, the Ministry of Education here urged all students writing the CSEC exams to continue preparing and that they will be informed of all updates in the matter.
CXC in a statement yesterday said that it was informed that fireproof cabinets containing examination papers for nine subjects scheduled to be administered this week, were stolen from a school in Jamaica.
“This is of grave concern to CXC and the matter is being investigated by the Ministry of National Security and the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). CXC is in constant contact with the Ministry of Education and Youth in Jamaica and an update was shared with the Ministries of Education from across the region at a meeting earlier (yesterday)”, CXC said in a statement.
CXC said it is determining the course of action and will communicate with the Ministries of Education.
Further information will be shared as it becomes available, it said.
In a statement on Tuesday in response to an editorial in the June 6 edition of Stabroek News entitled `CXC examination paper leaks’, the Barbados-based CXC said while technological advancement has been integrated into these processes, “human intervention is still required and therefore misconduct cannot always be prevented”.
Incidents such as leaks are of serious concern to CXC as it recognises the negative impact this can have on the mental wellbeing of the candidates and the integrity of our qualifications.
“As a result, once matters are highlighted our response is swift, as with the investigation into whether there was a leak of the CSEC Mathematics Paper 02. This response also includes audits to determine what additional plans can be put in place to prevent future incidents”.
The statement said that as CXC continues to execute the digital transformation outlined in its 2021 – 2025 Strategic Plan, e-Assessment is one of the major strategies in focus.
“This method of assessment can improve the timeframe in which assessments are dispatched to and from each country, the analysis of candidate performance, the approach to learners with different needs and the security of the examinations”, CXC said.
However, it noted that at this time all countries do not have the infrastructure in place to administer e-Assessments due to constraints such as funding and internet penetration. CXC is continuing to work with those who are ready, as other countries put the necessary plans in place to adopt this “more secure and efficient method of assessment”.
CXC said that it will continue its consultations with regional Ministries of Education on security matters and would like to reassure candidates that their best interests continue to be at the centre of the organisation’s decisions and processes.
On May 19th, CXC said a leaked Maths paper 02 would not be used in computing the grade for the subject.
CXC said in a statement that on May 17th it launched an investigation following concerns that the CSEC Mathematics Paper 02 was leaked, prior to the administration of the examination on that day.
CXC said that the security measures which had been put in place had led to it locating the country as Jamaica and the examination centre where the leak originated.
In discussion with the Ministry of Education and Youth, the matter would be dealt with following CXC’s security protocols, the statement said.
The statement said that CXC and regional Ministries of Education recognised that candidates had spent months preparing for their Mathematics Paper 02 examinations and the news of the security breach of the examination had caused much anxiety and concern.
“As a result of the breach and the compromise of the examination, as well as consideration for the mental health and wellbeing of our candidates, timely release of results, and matriculation requirements, CXC has determined that for this examination the modified approach will be used to award fair and valid grades. The modified approach entails assessment of: i. the School Based Assessment or Paper 032 (Alternative to SBA) for private candidates; and ii. Paper 01
It was this leak that triggered the Stabroek News editorial.
The editorial had said that “Recurring controversy over Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), examination paper leaks ought not to be the kind of challenge that we should be confronted with at this time, not when technology has placed at our disposal resources that would render cheating at that level more difficult to perpetrate and when, moreover, Caribbean nations ought, collectively, to be setting their faces against such practices rather than, individually, furiously seeking exoneration whenever irregularities in the distribution of examination papers occur”.
It had also said that the time might have arrived for regional heads of government to speak on the matter.
