CXC’s AI policy to bolster regional secondary education system – Registrar

– as Guyana cops several regional awards

The Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) is leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance its educational services, and to improve the outcomes of students who sit exams annually particularly in the subject areas of literacy and numeracy as part of a broader digital transformation.
The CXC on Thursday evening hosted its annual Regional Top Awards Ceremony in St Lucia. At the event students from across the region were awarded for their outstanding performances in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) examinations this year.

Speaking at the award ceremony, CXC’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Registrar Dr Wayne Wesley highlighted that it is the organisation’s goal to ensure that all students perform exceptionally well at exams every year.
“This excellence that we celebrate tonight might become the reality of a wider critical mass of students across the region who sit our examinations every year. We want greater success for more of the candidates sitting our examinations, especially in the fundamental subject area of Mathematics and English.”

In this regard, the CEO explained that the organisation has developed its regional artificial intelligence policy, aimed at bolstering the secondary education system.
“We have been agile in our response to produce a generative AI policy for the regional secondary education system. We are in the process of fine-tuning this policy by engaging multiple stakeholders’ consultations across the region.
Dr Westley further explained that once properly integrated, this new system will have a plethora of benefits for the regional secondary education system such as making learning more exciting and engaging for learners.

He also revealed that CXC will establish guidelines for educators to ensure that the benefits of this new policy are maximised.
“Our position is that AI can be an integral tool for learning. All our educators must master the use of this AI tool to achieve quantum leaps in the education and learning process and this CXC generative AI policy will provide guidelines and guardrails to make this happen.”
Moreover, Dr Wesley noted that students can actively contribute to the development of the new AI policy.
“Our top awardees, digital natives in our millennial generation can of course school us all in the value and efficacy of artificial intelligence because they’re actively using it in their everyday lives.”
Meanwhile, also speaking at the event was this year’s top CAPE student Aniyah Couchman who hails from Queens College. She emphasised the importance of students balancing academics with their personal lives.

“To my peers, I share this message, as you pursue academic excellence always remember to balance it with other aspects of your lives. It is important to diversify your experiences and stay active outside of the classroom. I found fulfilment in participating in school clubs and activities alongside my academic pursuits, the moments of balance helped me grow as an individual.”
Additionally, several other Guyanese students were recognised including Dave Chowtie of Queen’s College who secured the award for the most outstanding CSEC candidate and most outstanding candidate in Humanities.
Venisha Lall of Anna Regina Secondary School received the award for most outstanding candidate in Technical and Vocational Studies while Chitra Parbhu of Saraswati Vidya Niketan School secured the award for the most outstanding candidate in sciences.
In addition, Asiyah Karim of ISA Islamic School was awarded the Most Outstanding Candidate in Business award. Queens College secured this year’s top school award for CSEC and CAPE.