Three schools to get CAPE level addition, others being considered
Minister of Education Priya Manickchand
Minister of Education Priya Manickchand

AS many as seven secondary schools from across the country could begin offering Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) subjects by next year, in keeping with the Ministry of Education (MoE)’s development plans for secondary education.

Three of the secondary schools identified thus far for the upgrade are the West Demerara Secondary in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Anna Regina Secondary on the Essequibo Coast in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), and JC Chandisingh Secondary in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

This was revealed by Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand on Friday while answering questions following the announcement of the results of the 2021 National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA). The NGSA is a secondary school placement exam.

Given the competitiveness of the NGSA, and the dejection some pupils feel when they do not attain a place at one of the top secondary schools in the country, Manickchand said more is being done to improve all secondary schools, so that learners get a top education, regardless of where they are placed.

The addition of a CAPE level to more secondary schools is among the changes the ministry will be making in its quest to create more top secondary schools, and change the image persons have of some secondary schools.

“We have not spoken enough about how the non-top schools do; and they do very well. So, the List A and List B schools, when you look at the percentage of past students who matriculate is very very high, but because we promote the top schools, we have a stigma for schools that are not the top schools, and that does not reflect the reality,” Minister Manickchand explained.

CAPE is administered by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), and written after a student would have completed the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC). And while it is not compulsory, many students write CAPE to improve their chances of getting into university.

In addition to adding CAPE to more secondary schools, Minister Manickchand explained that the ministry is also focusing on eliminating “primary tops”, getting more trained teachers into schools, improving the physical infrastructure at many schools, and having a better monitoring system for schools as part of its overall plan to improve secondary education across the country.

“The changes would be many; they would be multi-faceted; they would be individualised. There is vigorous efforts to ensure we can cater to all the various students in all of the regions; that would mean doing different things in different regions,” Manickchand explained.

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