In 1979, the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) was launched as a Caricom institution, to ensure that our more autochthonous curricula were graded from within, and also to be recognised by other universities and institutions of higher learning, especially in the developed countries. CXC was so successful that, in 1980, one year after the exams that we now call the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams were introduced, they received recognition from several overseas-based organisations: Joint Matriculation Board, UK; Cambridge University Examinations Syndicate and the American Association of College Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO). At this time, there has been no foreign institution that has not given an equivalency accreditation to CXC’s imprimatur. The organisation remains one of the most successful Caricom institutions.
The 2025 results of the CSEC, along with those of the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), were released on Friday, with students expressing pride in their outstanding performances.
This year, in Guyana, a total of 12,685 students wrote the CSEC exams, with 80,556 entries. Jayden Adrian of Queen’s College topped the country with 21 Grade Ones and six Grade Twos, while improved performances were recorded in 15 subject areas.
Guyana secured 100 per cent passes in a number of subject areas, including Agricultural Science, Animation and Gaming, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Digital Media, Environmental Science, Entrepreneurship, Geography, Green Engineering, Spanish, Physical Education and Sports, Performing Arts, Logistics and Supply Chain, Information Technology, and French.
However, there remain a few dark clouds over the success story that is CXC, with students’ performance at CSEC Mathematics across the Region being of particular concern. Again, a majority of students who took CSEC Mathematics across the Caribbean this year failed the exam. In Guyana, there was a 32 per cent pass rate for Mathematics, an improvement from the 27 per cent recorded in 2024.
The consistent struggle with CSEC Mathematics underscores a broader issue within the Region’s education system. Despite improvements in other subjects and a general rise in pass rates over recent years, the sub-par Maths performance is alarming.
Education stakeholders, including the CXC and national education ministers, have recognised the need for reform. The introduction of new strategies, such as enhanced use of Artificial Intelligence and targeted interventions, is a positive step.
In 2024, the Education Ministry took a bold step with a targeted initiative aimed at transforming Maths outcomes across Guyana. The Ministry launched an intensive Mathematics Intervention Programme, designed to raise the national pass rate to between 45 per cent and 50 per cent at the CSEC level. And it is starting to bear fruit.
Chief Education Officer (CEO) Saddam Hussain, who had previously criticised the lack of progress in Maths education, expressed confidence in the revamped approach. On Friday during a ceremony hosted by the Education Ministry at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre to announce the results, he said the increase in the Mathematics pass rate was significant. “This is an increase of five per cent which is significant in any aspect of education gained in a single year,” he noted.
The results of these examinations are not just numbers on a paper; they represent the dreams and aspirations of young people.
