Urgent meeting in the works over CXC decision to axe CAPE and CSEC subjects

Ministers of Education from around the region are expected to hold an urgent virtual meeting to discuss the recent decision of the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) to suspend some subjects which it previously offered at CSEC and CAPE.

Speaking on NBC radio on Wednesday May 22,2024, Minister King said since the decision by CXC, he has reached out to his colleague Education Ministers in the OECS and the wider CARICOM region.

In his communication with the regional ministers, King said he suggested a meeting for them to discuss the CXC matter.

He said the meeting will be held through the Council of Human and Social Development (COHSOD), which is also part of CARICOM.

The Minister further revealed that he also has reached out to education ministers in The Bahamas and Suriname, although their exams are not administered by the CXC. .

Although not directly affected, these countries have given their support and stated their willingness to be part of the high level virtual meeting.

In its issue on Tuesday May 28, SEARCHLIGHT highlighted the concerns of principals in Jamaica, who say they are alarmed over the CXC’s decision to suspend four vocational subjects from 2025.

The CXC administers external exams at two levels, the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).

The CSEC subject to be dropped by the regional body is Mechanical Engineering, while at the CAPE level, Green Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Technology, and the double award Agricultural Science will be no more.

On Wednesday, Minister King stated that CXC’s decision has “naturally caused concern throughout the region,” for parents, policymakers and ordinary citizens.

He said the regional meeting is a better choice, than having countries individually voicing the same concerns.

“A more productive approach would be for us to sit down and analyze this decision, and make the necessary recommendations, or…give the necessary directive to ensure that what comes out is something that is advantageous to the region.”

Minister King, who is a former educator added that as a regional institution, CXC should be fashioned to be “more responsible and relevant to our own situation”.