The Caribbean Examinations Council, CXC, says it’s scheduling a meeting with ministers of education across the region to discuss the suspension of certification for four STEM subjects.
Nationwide News understands that the meeting is being planned for early next week via a virtual platform.
The subjects to be discontinued relate to mechanical engineering at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate level, as well as Green Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Technology, and Agricultural Science, double award at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency level.
The matter came to public attention last week when the Jamaica Teachers’ Association raised alarm and called for answers regarding the implications for students and teachers.
Since then, the Overseas Examinations Commission, OEC, which administers CXC exams in Jamaica, has taken responsibility for the premature release of the information and said a decision to remove the subjects from the Jamaican secondary schools’ curriculum has not yet been taken.
In a short statement to the media Wednesday morning, the Barbados-based council says the correspondence concerning syllabus suspension was addressed to the Ministries of Education.
It says the premature release of the information to the public has caused anxiety among stakeholders, which it says is regrettable.
CXC says it will act in the best interest of all its stakeholders and will provide a full update to the public on the outcome of next week’s meeting.
