THE Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) and the University of Guyana (UG), on Wednesday, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which seeks to advance teaching, learning and assessment in the Caribbean.
The MoU was signed virtually between UG’s Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Paloma Mohamed-Martin, and CXC Registrar and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Wayne Wesley, during a simple ceremony.
Under the MoU, the university will recognise CXC’s associate degrees for the purpose of matriculation by candidates. Prospective UG students will benefit from the matching of coursework requirements at the university according to the CXC syllabus.
According to Dr. Wesley, CXC will also facilitate the sharing of candidate’s examination results allowing for a smoother crossover for students seeking to access the “high-quality tertiary education.”

The registrar explained that both parties will also collaborate on pedagogical research for the digital transformation of the education system as well as collaboration on faculty and staff development, to advance teaching, learning and assessment in the region.
“The signing of this MoU is a testament to both institutions’ continued commitment to greater regional impact through partnership. It is our promise to the people of the region to continuously seek out educational opportunities which will ultimately further the development of the region, as we seek to advance human capacity development with the highest level of education possible,” Dr. Wesley said.
In her remarks, Dr. Mohamed-Martin said the university welcomes the forward-thinking strategy of the council to streamline its arrangements and progress in the era of virtual space education using digital techniques and technology.

“This is the third such MoU being signed this year and I know that there are many more to come. This particular MoU covers joint exploration and coordination for access of faculty to act as moderators, resource persons to sit on review and examining committees as chief examiners and assistant chief examiners,” the vice-chancellor said.
She noted that the agreement will also allow CXC’s research and advisory group and resource personnel from the university to help in the development of learning and support resources.
“This MoU also solidified UG’s role and place in collaborative Caribbean-wide pedagogical research as well as research from the digital transformation of the education system. The MoU will also see closer and more systematic and strategic collaboration on teacher development to advanced teaching, learning, and assessment in the Caribbean,” Dr. Mohamed-Martin said.

According to the vice-chancellor, the MoU also facilitates the advance sharing of examination results for the purpose of matriculation as authorised by candidates, so that they can have advanced placement in cases where there is high competition and limited spaces in certain programmes offered at the university.
“Over the years UG has been able to welcome thousands of students from across the Caribbean to our campuses and institutes to study for over 140 different excellent degrees and they’ve been able to do this using CXC certificates as the gold standards of the region as one of the main entry requirements,” she added.
She noted that this new initiative by CXC will open a world of possibilities in higher education, training research, exchange curriculum, human and social systems development, not only in our country but the Caribbean and eventually the rest of the world.
The MoU is a part of CXC’s strategic mandate to make an even greater impact on the region’s education system. It has already pursued many partnerships with educational institutions, both regionally and internationally.