Guyana to object to discontinuation of 4 technical & vocational CXC subjects

…subjects offer benefits to rapid growth in oil, agri industries in Guyana – Manickchand

Guyana does not support the unofficial decision by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) to remove several technical and vocational subjects from its syllabus.

This point was made by Education Minister Priya Manickchand following the “premature release of correspondence addressed to the Ministries of Education concerning syllabus suspension”.

Among the subjects under examination are Mechanical Engineering at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) level, and Green Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Technology, and Agricultural Science, double award, at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency (CAPE) level.
Guyana Times understands that Heads within Education Ministries across the Caribbean are scheduled to meet with the Caribbean Examinations Council on June 4 to discussion the matter.
In an interview with this publication, Manickchand explained that the Guyana’s Government is against the pulling of the subjects and it will make its position known at the upcoming stakeholders meeting.

“I’d like to say that Guyana is one of the driving forces behind the meeting because we have had grave concerns about what appeared to be an announcement that CXC is now saying was a premature release, withdrawing some subjects from our schools from the options our children have. So, yes, we will be participating…we have an objection to that because we believe the continuation of these subjects on offer would benefit the children and people of Guyana because of the trajectory our country is heading in,” the education minister explained.
According to reports, if the subjects are axed from the syllabus, students sitting the 2024 and 2025 examinations will be affected.

Manickchand re-emphasised that Guyana cannot afford to drop technical and vocational subjects considering the rapid growth of the economy, especially in the oil and gas and agriculture industries.
“Yeah, you know, where the world is talking about sustainable food investments and about skills being the new wealthy investment children can make or young people can make in order to sustain their livelihoods, both as young people and as adults with their own families, and particularly with the oil and gas sector coming, being built out in Guyana, where we hope to grow and utilise our own skill base, local skill base to serve the entire economy around that. Guyana cannot afford to drop these subjects now, and we don’t intend to, and we intend to make that very clear to the Caribbean Examinations Council,” she added.
CXC/CAPE result 2023
In a monumental record, Guyana topped the Caribbean for the fifth consecutive year at both at the 2023 Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) and the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination.
Alex Muntaz of the Anna Regina Secondary and Naresh Jagnanan of Queen’s College have been named the Most Outstanding Students overall in the Region at CSEC and CAPE, respectively.
Muntaz had clinched 23 Grade Ones and four Grade Twos at the examinations while Jagnanan scored nine Grade Ones and one Grade Two at CAPE.
Muntaz also copped the Most Outstanding Student in Technical and Vocational Education and Training subjects.
Stable performances were noted in English Language, Mathematics, Technical Drawing, Caribbean History, and Economics.
Pass percentages for the year are as follows: 70 for English Language; 63 for English Literature; 34 for Mathematics; 60 for Additional Mathematics; 97 for Agricultural Science (double award); 55 for Physics; 66 for Integrated Science; 58 for Chemistry; 72 for Principles of Business; 69 for Principles of Accounts; 63 for Economics; 84 for Religious Education; 53 for Social Studies; 65 for Visual Arts; 64 for Caribbean History; 98 for Theatre Arts, and 88 for Music.
For the TVET subject areas, there was a pass rate of over 65 per cent
Additionally, an improved performance was recorded in Agricultural Science, from 76 per cent to 91 per cent; Applied Mathematics, from 88 per cent to 100 per cent; Economics, from 81 per cent to 90 per cent; Electronic and Electrical Technology, from 80 per cent to 85 per cent; Geography, from 95 per cent to 100 per cent; Pure Mathematics Unit One, from 65 per cent to 88 per cent; Pure Mathematics Unit Two, from 80 per cent to 87 per cent; Chemistry, from 86 per cent to 88 per cent; and Literature, from 95 per cent to 97 per cent. Caribbean Studies and Communication studies – both compulsory subjects – each recorded over 90 per cent. (G1)