Local CXC Registrar, Magalie Celestine, says Dominica is ready and has “started the ball rolling” to put measures in place for this year’s Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) Exams in July.
That decision was made during a meeting of the CARICOM Council for Human Social Development (COHSOD) held recently.
“Since we were given the mandate, then we started the ball rolling to get things ready for the June to July 2020 exams,” she said while speaking on DBS Radio. “The format has been tweaked a bit since CXC is saying there will be no Paper 2 for the majority of the exams.”
Celestine said Dominica should be ready by June 29, to administer the exams online.
“So the Paper 1 format will be given, multiple choice, as well as the students SBA will be considered for the final mark that will be awarded,” she explained adding that Paper 2 will be administered for the modern languages, students doing French and Spanish as well as Human and Social Biology.
The private candidates who do not have an SBA, Celestine said, will be tested with Paper 1 and the Paper 3/2 which is the alternate paper.
Celestine said the major setback at this moment is the lack of internet in schools and classrooms but for the most part, principals are on board and teachers are ready.
“As a matter of fact, the majority of our SBA grades are already on the system, so students’ work is being prepared,” Celestine asserted. “It is ongoing because CXC gave a further extension to the submission of SBA’s in consideration with all that’s happening in the region.”
Celestine said she has been communicating with principals who have been working with her to put certain measures and proper protocols in place for the exams.
“I have been calling one-on-one via the telephone so that we could put things in place in terms of the number of rooms to be used for the exams, the number of computers available at the schools, finding an area at the school that would be appropriate to quarantine students who will not be taking the exams at the time and we have to wait for a second session,” she explained.
She said this year all schools will be used as centres and students will not have to be moving around.
Celestine said the same goes for The Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Level Competence] (CCSLC) which, this year, for the very first time, will be administered online as a multiple-choice paper.
However, Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination] (CAPE) students will be at different centres.
“We have, for example, the LEAD students will be at the New Town Primary for the exams and the academic students will remain at their centre,” according to the CXC Registrar. She said The Business Training Center (BTC) will be catered for as well.
Celestine indicated that all exams for both CAPE and CSEC are expected to run during the period from June 29th to July 17th.
The Caribbean Union of Teachers (CUT) has said that it is not in favour of the decision by CARICOM Council for Human and Social Development on Education to allow students to sit the CXC-administered exams in July.
The CUT said in a statement issued on Tuesday, that it was calling for Caribbean governments to be mindful not to rush the process for the reopening of schools to facilitate the writing of CXC examinations unless they have instituted all measures outlined by the reopening of school protocol.
It said that it believes the unfortunate decision taken by COHSOD places the lives of thousands of students and teachers at risk, as all the issues surrounding the administering of the examinations have not been addressed.
What the registrar didn’t say is how the hygiene protocols are going to be maintained. Especially sanitizing of devices, physical distancing etc. As a parent of a 5th former and a teacher, I’m quite sceptical .
What the registrar didnt say is how the physical distancing will be mapped out, how the rooms will be sanitized, wearing of masks, ensuring parents that devices would be sanitized etc. As a parent of a 5th former and a teacher myself, I am very sceptical.