CXC decides not to suspend engineering examination subjects

Caribbean: The suspension of the certification of certain engineering subjects has been discontinued by the Caribbean Examinations Council following consultation with regional ministers of education. The announcement was made by Dr Wayne Wesley, Registrar and CEO of CXC who added that the about-turn is taken for the best interest of the region.

The meeting with the consultations was held on Tuesday morning where ministers and other officials participated and listened to the perspective and concerns of the body. CEO outlined that the meeting featured a discussion on several challenges faced by the Caribbean Examinations Council as they talked with several stakeholders of the council.

After a comprehensive discussion, the decision has been made that the reversal of the suspension decision is in the best interest of the collective regional goods as the region must get access to those subjects.

Notably, the subject for the suspension involved mechanical engineering at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) level, green engineering, electrical and electronic engineering and technology, and agricultural service, double award at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency (CAPE) level. The decision of the suspension was taken in May 2024 due to the low enrolment recorded in the last year.

However, the decision caused an alarming situation across the Caribbean society where stakeholders demanded the agency’s explanation as sufficient and further criticized its monopoly on terminal exams in the region.

Now, the CEO added that the decision was taken for the protection of the collective regional marketing thrust which will also be helpful in promoting the priority subject areas in STEM. He added that education and climate-smart agriculture is considered critical for the economic growth and sustainable development of the Caribbean.

In addition to that, the subjects are important for the reinforcement of the education system and Wesley added that the ministers extended their full support for the CXC and for more direct lines of communication with the council.

CEO Wesley also outlined that the council has also added several new subjects which included technology and science programmes, but they are not meeting the desired level of demand. He asked for the proper platforms and efforts in promoting these subjects and building demands for these new programs to make their cost viable.