Caribbean Examinations Council® and Jamaican Students Discuss Move to Revitalise National Committees

KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Caribbean Examinations Council® (CXC®) and the National Secondary Students’ Council (NSSC) of Jamaica met recently to forge a closer relationship between the two entities. Dr Wayne Wesley, Registrar and CEO of CXC®, met with the NSSC’s National Executive during a virtual meeting. This is the first in a series of introductory meetings planned with regional student bodies and leaders as the organisation begins to rebuild an inclusive decision-making process. During the meetings, students will be engaged on CXC’s plans and given the opportunity to share feedback and concerns.

CXC’s inclusive decision-making framework will be utilised by National Committees which will include a cross-section of stakeholders such as representatives from Ministries or Departments of Education and the teaching profession, tertiary institutions, teachers’ unions, nationally-recognised subject associations, teacher training colleges, national secondary school student associations or leaders, national parent-teacher associations, chambers of commerce and the general community.

In accordance with Article IX of the Agreement Establishing the Caribbean Examinations Council®, each Participating Government is required to establish a National Committee in its territory. These Committees will be reactivated in 2021 after experiencing inactivity in some territories in the past few years. Each government will appoint the Chairman of the National Committee from among the members of the Committee. CXC® will consult with the Committees on areas such as syllabus content, the appointment of Examiners, candidate performance, CXC’s annual report and any other matters relating to examinations.

Dr Wesley shared with the National Executive members, “We have indicated to our Council that we are committed to the revitalisation of the National Committees. They will provide our stakeholders, such as students, parents, teachers and colleges, with a formal mechanism through which they can interact with CXC® and present issues of concern that we ought to pay attention to and address. We believe that meetings of these Committees will allow the type of open communication and sharing of information that can help to iron out differences and promote inclusivity.”

Members of the NSSC Executive shared suggestions and concerns during the meeting, which included the re-deployment of CXC’s mobile app and interactive sessions with students on Instagram. Ree-Anna Robinson, National Public Relations Officer of the NSSC, expressed appreciation to CXC® for the opportunity to be involved in the decision-making process and transformation of the organisation. “The National Secondary Students’ Council was quite elated to have been invited to meet with Dr Wayne Wesley. The Council felt reassured in this meeting as we feel that this is a step in the right direction for CXC®. We intend to play an integral role on this new Committee and we have high hopes for our input to be utilised in an intentional way and to be reflected in the future decisions and endeavours of the Caribbean Examinations Council®.”
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About CXC®
The Caribbean Examinations Council® (CXC®) was established in 1972 under Agreement by the Participating Governments in the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). CXC® assures the global human resource competitiveness of the Caribbean through the provision of syllabuses of the highest quality; valid and reliable examinations and certificates of international repute for students of all ages, abilities and interests; services to educational institutions in the development of syllabuses, examinations and examinations’ administration, in the most cost-effective way.
CXC® comprises 16 Participating Countries: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and Turks and Caicos Islands.

The first examinations for the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate® (CSEC®) were offered in 1979 in five subjects. Subsequent to CSEC®, CXC® has introduced a comprehensive suite of qualifications to meet the needs of the region: Caribbean Primary Exit Assessment™ (CPEA™), Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Level Competence® (CCSLC®), *Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ), Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination® (CAPE®) and the CXC® Associate Degree (CXC®-AD).
The organisation also collaborates with countries in the Dutch Caribbean – Curaçao, Saba, St Eustatius and St Maarten, as well as Suriname.
Additional information about the Caribbean Examinations Council® can be found at www.cxc.org

*Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) is the trademark of the Caribbean Association of National Training Authorities. CXC® is one of the National Training Agencies in the Caribbean which awards CVQs.

For further information, kindly contact us at +1 (246) 227-1700 or email cxcezo@cxc.org (Barbados), or for queries in Jamaica at + 1 (876) 630-5200 or email: cxcwzo@cxc.org