Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Fayval Williams, says preparations are in place for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), which will commence on June 28
She noted that the Overseas Examinations Commission (OEC) has reported that the “centres have been finalised, presiding examiners have been engaged and trained and deployment schedules have been shared with them ahead of the start of the exams”.
The OEC is the local entity charged with ensuring the smooth preparation for and administration of the exams in Jamaica as well as the return of scripts for marking.
“”The schools, through the exam coordinators, continue to liaise with the OEC to ensure on-the-ground readiness, the pickup and return of exam scripts in a timely manner,” Minister Williams noted further.
She was addressing Wednesday’s (June 9) post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House.
The regional exams will run through to July 31 and the results will be released between the last week of September and the first week of October.
The examinations were originally scheduled to begin on June 14, but were delayed in light of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. They will be administered in their original format, that is, papers one and two, and 100 per cent moderation of school-based assessment (SBAs). All SBAs are to be submitted by June 30, 2021.
Minister Williams informed that a preliminary review shows that 5,987 CSEC students and 292 CAPE students have requested deferral. Students had until May 31 to defer sitting the 2021 examinations.
The Minister noted that the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), which administers the exams, has indicated that consideration will be given in the grading process, to account for the psychosocial effect of the pandemic on the students.
Meanwhile, she informed that approximately 24,000 students are registered for the City and Guilds exams, which have been rescheduled for August 10 to 11.
In addition, some 16,000 students are registered for the National Council on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (NCTVET) exams, which will run from June 7 to 11.
