The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) is advising all stakeholders that following consultations with Ministries of Education from across the region yesterday morning, that the regional examinations will be administered as scheduled.
The decision came following a disclosure on Wednesday by the Barbados-headquartered CXC that a fire-proof cabinet containing examination papers for nine subjects scheduled to be administered this week, were stolen from a school in Jamaica.
“To date, there has been no confirmation that the secured fire-proof cabinet containing examination papers, which was stolen from a school in Jamaica has been compromised.
“CXC reassures candidates that their best interests continue to be at the centre of the organisation’s decisions and processes and wishes all candidates well in their examinations. As the police continue their investigations in Jamaica, CXC and Ministry officials from across the region will continue to monitor the security of the regional examinations”, CXC said yesterday.
CXC had expressed grave concern on Wednesday over the theft which had followed another 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 said in a statement.
In a statement on Tuesday in response to an editorial in the June 6 edition of Stabroek News entitled `CXC examination paper leaks’, 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”.
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.
