New CXC Programme
As part of an orientation exercise on their new secondary education programme, a delegation from the Barbados based Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) visited Cayman on Thursday (23rd March) for discussions with representatives of the education system and stakeholders in local employment issues. The Cayman Islands already has an established relationship with CXC.
The new programme will see participating Caribbean nations introduce secondary level competence examinations, which focus on developing and assessing a wide range of competencies among school-leavers. In addition to their academic achievements, students taking the examinations, which start in 2007, will acquire all the requisite knowledge, skills, competencies, attitudes and values to prepare them for the workplace. Successful candidates in the programme will be awarded a recognized certificate.
The competency-based approach to examinations was developed to address needs identified across the region for a secondary programme, which is suited to a wide variety of abilities among students. According to CXC the new programme satisfies the needs of the majority of students, and will help create a "well-educated and trained labour force for an increasingly competitive global environment".
CXC claims that consultation between the region's policy makers and educators concluded with the understanding that their involvement would bring cost-efficiencies, portability of certification and international recognition to the programme, as well as a common set of standards for the Caribbean region.
During their one day visit, CXC Registrar Dr. Lucy Steward and Pro-Registrar Mr. Wesley Barrett engaged in talks with the Minister of Education, Training, Employment, Youth, Sports and Culture, Hon. Alden McLaughlin, JP, and the Ministry's Acting Chief Officer, Mrs. Mary Rodrigues. They also met with school principals, the Department of Education and the Schools' Inspectorate, as well as the Director of the Department of Employment Relations and representatives from both the Chamber of Commerce and H.M. Prison.
The Minister of Education explained that the visit is timely because it comes amidst a review of the Cayman Islands' national curriculum and assessment programmes, which pertains to strategy 2 of the education reform strategies identified as a result of last September's education conference.
The Honourable Minister expressed his gratitude to the CXC Registrar for information provided about the new programme, and commented, "We must explore every possible avenue to increasing the provision of opportunities for Cayman's student and worker population."
For further information contact: Lennon Christian