The Caribbean Examinations Council’s (CXC) decision to suspend four subjects at the CSEC and CAPE level has been heavily criticised thus far.
This week, Education Minister Shawn Edward ,echoing the sentiments of the St Lucia Secondary Schools’ Principals Association, said the decision doesn’t augur well for Saint Lucia and should be revisited.
Minister Edward, in a press statement, said he was surprised by CXC’s decision to suspend four subjects (Green Engineering, Agricultural Science – Double Award, Mechanical Engineering and Electrical and Electronic Engineering) due to low enrollment.
According to him, the onus is on CXC and member states of the Caribbean that subscribe to CXC to ensure that they encourage students to gravitate towards the subjects mentioned.
“I must say I was taken aback by the decision of the Caribbean Examinations Council to suspend subjects that are currently being offered at the CSEC level – that is the secondary level, and at the CAPE level which is the Advanced Proficiency Level. Those subjects are critical to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals,” the minister stated.
While CXC has said that over the years the numbers have dwindled, he stated that given the importance of the subjects “in terms of the level of training they afford young people in the Caribbean and how significant those areas are to the development of individual member states and also as a collective, I believe it is something that needs to be revisited.”
Agricultural Science (Double Award) is a crucial area the minister said, as we have a serious food security issue in Saint Lucia and by extension the Caribbean. Any attempt to get our students to be sensitized towards the benefits of agriculture at a young age can only augur well for some of the food security issues we have in the region.
Therefore, from a personal standpoint and a national standpoint, Edward said “we do not want to see Agricultural Science Double Award removed from the list of subjects being offered by CXC.”
With regards to Green Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, Edward said that currently we are pushing a TVET agenda which we believe can bring about a particular type of transformation in our society. We’re also pushing STEM education so the more students we can have gravitate towards the subject the better it would auger for Saint Lucia to help us meet some of the critical goals and strategic objectives that we have set for ourselves as a country.
Edward urged teachers and the Planning Unit of the Ministry of Education to begin to devise plans and initiatives that would make those subjects more attractive.
Earlier this week, the St Lucia Secondary Schools’ Principals Association (SSPA) said it is appalled by CXC’s decision to suspend the subjects.
The Association in a statement said it is disconcerting considering that in St Lucia we are preparing to transform four secondary schools into TVET Centres in time for the next academic year. This move will definitely limit the scope of those TVET Centres as well as the options available to the students.
Furthermore, the Association said, that each of those subjects equip students with skills which are essential not only to them as individuals but to the economy and environment. It cannot suffice that undersubscription in those areas is the main reason for the discontinuation.
The SSPA said that as a regional body CXC has a moral and societal obligation to the region which it serves to ensure that it provides certification in a wide range of areas which contribute to the improvement of societies and their human resource capacity.
“Further, as we confront the effects of climate change, innovative agricultural practices, green technology and innovations stemming from knowledge in mechanical and electrical engineering all have a crucial role to play in the region’s survival. In our view this decision should be revisited and input from the various countries ought to be solicited prior to such an impactful decision being made,” the SSPA stated.
The Jamaican Gleaner on Wednesday said that principals of technical high schools expressed alarm on Tuesday over reports that CXC would be suspending the subjects.
According to the Principal of St Elizabeth Technical High School in Jamaica, Keith Wellington, “if these subjects are not offered as a part of the regular secondary school curriculum, it will eventually become impossible to find teachers to teach the subject area. Hence there will eventually become an even greater shortage of teachers capable of teaching these subjects.”