Guyana says CXC must account for declining CSEC maths grades

Last Updated on Tuesday, 10 September 2024, 23:15 by Writer

Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand addressing teachers at the Cyril Potter College of Education at the launch of a CSEC mathematics remedial programme.

Guyana’s Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand on Tuesday said questions were being raised about whether the Caribbean Examinations Council’s (CXC) Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) mathematics exam this year was tougher and so resulted in lower grades.

“Kids came out of the exam bawling in a way that they did not last year. CXC is our servant like I am yours so they are not going to dictate to this region who matriculates because they are not responsive. They have to respond to this particular problem across the Caribbean,” she said at the launching of a pilot project aimed at boosting mathematics at 50 secondary schools across Guyana.

Ms Manickchand suggested that the adverse impact of COVID-19 on education could no longer be considered an acceptable reason because 2023 was also the post pandemic period.

According to the Education Minister, there was reason to be optimistic that the Barbados-headquartered CXC would eventually respond to concerns. “The couple of people I spoke to are already looking at and trying to analyse what really happened, which were the questions we had problems with so I suspect we’re going to see those kinds of analytics once we keep asking for them,” she said. Ms Manickchand said a number of students complained of seeing Add Maths-type questions on the CSEC maths exam.

CXC last month reported that only 36 percent of students across the Caribbean received passing grades for CSEC maths, a seven percentage point decrease compared to last year. “Somebody has to account for why we’ve dropped seven percentage points,” she said. Guyana recorded a CSEC maths pass rate of 31 percent in 2024 compared to 34 per cent last year.

The Guyana mathematics remedial programme includes the supply of free maths textbooks, workbooks, past exam papers, geometry sets and calculators. There will be diagnostic tests to determine the need for extra classes, fortnightly national worksheets, national mock exams, targeted training and monitoring of school-based assessments and distance education online, on radio and television. 

Fifty monitors, who would be performing duties of education officers, would be assessing the delivery of mathematics to forms 4 and 5 students.

Chief Education Officer of the Ministry of Education, Saddam Hussain said there would be no room for under-performing teachers. “There is also going to be, for the first time, maybe in the history of this country, teachers and schools are going to be held accountable for the results,” he said.

Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders are due to discuss the declining grades in CSEC maths when they meet next February for their mid-term summit.