GUYANA will host the annual governance meetings of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) and an awards ceremony for the regional top performers. Several events are scheduled to be held during the period December 2 – 6. CXC officials are scheduled to arrive here today to participate in the various events.The meeting of the School Examinations Committee (SEC) will be held on Thursday December 5 and the 45th meeting of Council, CXC’s highest decision-making body, will be held on Friday December 6.

Among the major agenda items for discussion at the Council meeting are the report on the administration of the 2013 examinations; the Registrar’s report to Council; the 2014 budget; and the CXC Strategic Plan and Priorities 2014 – 2020.
The presentation ceremony for the most outstanding candidates in the May/June 2013 Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) and the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) will be held at 7:00pm on Thursday December 5 at the National Cultural Centre. During the ceremony, which also marks the official opening of the Council meeting, awards will be presented to 18 students from across the Region, 10 for outstanding performances at CAPE and eight for outstanding performances at CSEC. The awardees come from Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.
President Donald Ramotar will deliver the feature address at the ceremony and declare the Council meeting open.
Chairman of CXC, Professor E Nigel Harris, Registrar of CXC, Dr. Didacus Jules and Miss Yogeeta Persaud of Anna Regina Secondary School, Guyana, the most outstanding overall CSEC performer will also address the ceremony.
Vice Chancellor of The University of the West Indies (UWI), Professor Harris, will present scholarship letters to the eight CSEC awardees from UWI. The awardees will be able to take up the scholars after completion of CAPE or an associate degree.
During the ceremony, Mrs. Sheena Daley, Caribbean Regional Director for Pearson Education, will present the first Pearson CAPE Humanities Award to Ms. Tasanique Henry of Hampton High School, Jamaica.

The regional top awardees, and a CXC delegation will pay courtesy calls on His Excellency President Ramotar, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, , Minister of Education; Ms Priya Manickchand and, Leader of the Opposition, Brigadier (retired) David Granger.

The awardees will also have opportunities to interact with students from schools in Guyana and visit places of interest, including: Kaieteur Falls, Baganara Resort, Fort Island and Parika.

The Council comprises representatives of 16 participating countries, UWI, University of Guyana and the teaching profession. The Council deals with finance and administrative issues, while the SEC deals with technical and examination issues.