More Parental Involvement Needed In CXC Exam Preparations

Parents must be more active in the education life of their children especially as they prepare to take their external examinations from the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC). This statement was reiterated by several officials during the first one-day seminar for journalists, which took place at Alexander Court in Barbados Monday.

Sharon Giles, Head of Examination Administration Security (EAS) said in the 2011 exams four territories did not submit their Student Based Assessments (SBAs) before the deadline and so thousands of students were ungraded in the applicable subjects.

"CXC does not negotiate on our deadlines," Giles told reporters. "The SBAs are a critical component of the final grade for students and so submission of the SBAs must be done within the time allotted."

Students in St. Kitts & Nevis, Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago were affected by the delay in submission. The officials said parents should check to make sure they know what the deadlines are and ensure that schools are submitting the work on time.

Giles noted that CXC is presently investigating one school who submitted bogus SBAs from years prior as the students had never conducted any SBAs.

The council hosted more than 20 journalists from Barbados, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) on Monday, March 5, and a seminar for guidance counselors on Tuesday March 6.

In 2011, 54 students tested in a total of 280 subject areas in CSEC Examinations at General and Technical Proficiency Levels.