— get on their way to university, finding a job

THE College of Excellence, Management and Business (CEMB) wants to help students who have dropped out of school before sitting the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Exams, so that they may be able to pursue a university education.
The college is located inside the compound of Critchlow Labour College, Woolford Avenue, in Georgetown.

“CEMB is inviting the general public, especially young persons, to avail themselves of the opportunity and join their Ministry of Education and Public Service recognised, ABE endorsed and awards, high school diploma in matriculation studies,” Principal Dr. Stanley Paul said in a statement on Wednesday.
His programme offers CSEC level Grades Seven to Nine in English, Mathematics, Law, Principles of Business, Accounts and Management.

The aim is to put young persons, especially persons who left school without good grades and before completing school, on a path to university and the world of work.

Paul said the institution recognises the plea and cries of this “neglected” segment of the country’s population and designed the high school diploma as a prestigious and credible solution to reduce, if not eradicate, this trend.
“We realised there is a segment of public servants, Joint Services personnel and students who exit the secondary school system, at Grade Nine, without any formal qualifications. So CEMB has decided to develop this high school diploma and got the renowned, ABE-UK involved to give the qualification local and international recognition and prestige,” Paul expressed.
Moreover, not being satisfied with ABE’s endorsement alone, although same is adequate for the purpose, CEMB wrote to the Ministry of Education and Public Service and asked them to recognise the qualification.
As a result, they did a comparative study of its curriculum and quality assurance of delivery that culminated in them formally recognising the qualification as a ‘Grade Nine Exit Qualification.’

In addition, Paul said efforts were also made to recruit lecturers from Queen’s College and President’s College who are Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE)-trained and University of Guyana qualified with good grades in the respective subject areas for which they were recruited. They also possess post graduate degrees, he said.

“Because the qualification is awarded by ABE-UK, students can seamlessly transition over to ABE level four/level five diploma or matriculate straight into a bachelor’s degree programme from one of ABE’s hundreds of affiliated universities,” Paul explained.
According to him, students also have the option, subsequent to graduating with the diploma, to spend an additional six months and write four CSEC’s subjects since the diploma curriculum is a peg to CSEC or move on to the world of work.

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Dr. Stanley Paul