Students in Dominican enrolled in the GCE “A” Level Progamme are now breathing a sigh of relief after classes resumed on Monday.
In a letter to the students earlier this month, the programme’s coordinator, Henry Volney, had said the programme was being scrapped.
But speaking to DNO on Tuesday Volney said the programme is now back on track and has been fully operational since Monday (March 18).
“We had a little issue, the matter has been resolved and classes have resumed,” he said.
When pressed on what the issue was, Volney said he would rather not say.
However, in the letter to the students, he had made it clear that the programme was bankrupt. “It is with regret that I must announce that the GCE “A” Level Pogramme for this year is discontinued,” Volney wrote to the students. “The Bursar has announced that the lecturers can only be paid a percentage of their fees for the period January 21-February 24, and so the programme is bankrupt. There is no money to pay the lecturers for the period February 25-March 8 – two weeks of classes.”
Volney had also told the students that the programme would be re-evaluated and re-engineered and would recommence in September.
At present, 60 students are enrolled in the first year of the programme and there are 40 in the second year.
This is good news, but we should have moved to CAPE one time. To have A Levels is like having international currency to go to universities around the world.
To have a so called “associate degree” from a State college in some small Caribbean island called Dominica (not to be confused with the Dominican Republic)does not get you far.
We are linked to some third rate college in the US just because of the stubborness of one or two senior staff at State College.They are short changing our children.
Hmph… Take that~! I warned allu when you constantly lost peoples grades. I even constructed riots, scheduled fights and the ilk. You still don’t get the point.
Maybe i should have waited for karma. =_=”
Dominica is the only island in the Eastern Caribbean that does not offer CAPE. Why are we still making our students write this British based exam? We might as well insist on GCE O Levels for our Secondary Schools. The schools that will accept GCE will accept CAPE; many of the students who are in this A Level programme are desirous of attending(or ultimately end up at) UWI. UWI accepts CAPE wholesale, giving students exemptions for various courses based on their performance at CAPE. GCE still teaches that the Caribs were cannibals and that Christopher Columbus “discovered” the Caribbean!!! We need to take a second look at this. We might be better of receiving a charter from the UWI and expend the DSC in fellowship therein.
hmmm… DSC is crap tho… Got a better chance at saving up money and go overs…
I am a little confused. Didn’t the President of the College have a live interview on DBS last year where he said the DSC was cutting out the A level programme? I know that only Science is being offered now, by the way he was speaking, I thought it was on the chopping block for sure.
A levels should be the main course taught at the college. Period. Then there would no need for extra fees. It is a fundamental stepping stone to higher education.
This is an unnecessary strain on parents.
Grateful they have finally seen sense and we have an internationally recognised standard again. False pride is not a substitue for the future of our children.
Like the rest of the country, it’s a lost decade for education.
Vol where did the monies went to?
very interesting….the effects of no more Chavez…pay attention there will be more….
=_=”