— improvements recorded in Pure Mathematics and Digital Media

EVEN amid a global pandemic, Guyanese students have managed to maintain the country’s position as an academic topper within the Caribbean region; however, an analysis conducted on the preliminary results shows a slight decline in performances at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).

During the official announcement of the local results on Friday, Chief Education Officer (CEO) Dr Marcel Hutson indicated that the country’s pass rate for CAPE 2021 stood at 90.86 per cent, which indicates a decline of approximately three per cent when compared to the 93.28 per cent passes recorded last year.

In giving a breakdown, the CEO said that CAPE 2021 was written by 723 candidates from 10 secondary schools and four private institutions. “The gender distribution of the overall pass rate is 36 per cent males and 64 per cent females,” the Ministry of Education official indicated.

Candidates were offered units in 32 subject areas, of which 30 Units recorded 100 per cent passes. These include Agricultural Science Unit 1; Art and Design Unit 1; Applied Mathematics Unit 2; Computer Science Unit 2; Economics Unit 2; Environmental Science Unit 1; Food and Nutrition Unit 1; Geography Unit 2; Green Engineering Unit 2; Management of Business Unit 1; Animation and Gaming Design Units 1 and 2; Spanish Units 1 and 2; Physics Unit 2; Physical Education and Sport Units 1 and 2; Performing Arts Units 1 and 2 (Cinematic Arts); Digital Media Units 1 and 2; Entrepreneurship Units 1 and 2; Tourism Units 1 and 2; Logistical and Supply Chain Operations Units 1 and 2; Building and Mechanical Eng. Drawing – Mech Units 1 and 2; and Building and Mechanical Engineer Drawing – Building Unit 1.

Meanwhile, there was 75 per cent or higher passes in the areas of Accounting Units 1 and 2; Agricultural Science Unit 2; Applied Mathematics Unit 1; Biology Units 1 and 2; Caribbean Studies Unit 1; Chemistry Units 1 and 2; Communication Studies Unit 1; Computer Science Unit 1; Economics Unit 1; Environmental Science Unit 2; Food and Nutrition Unit 2; Geography Unit 1; History Units 1 and 2; Information Technology Units 1 and 2; Law Units 1 and 2; Literatures in English Units 1 and 2; Management of Business Unit 2; Physics Unit 1; Sociology Units 1 and 2 and Integrated Mathematics Unit 1.

Hutson, in his analytical presentation, said that Caribbean Studies and Communication Studies continue to record an over 90 per cent pass rate but this year has seen a decline in performances for Integrated Mathematics, which recorded a drop from 82.18 per cent in 2020 to 78.67 per cent in 2021. On the other hand, Pure Mathematics Unit 1 recorded improved performance with a pass rate of 58.89 per cent in 2021 as against 54.96 per cent in 2020.

E-TESTING
Further, for the first time ever, schools, such as Queen’s College, St Rose’s High and St Joseph High, wrote their Paper Ones for several subjects, using the E-Testing modality. These subjects include Accounting Units 1 and 2; Agricultural Science Units 1 and 2; Computer Science Units 1 and 2; Geography Units 1 and 2; Green Engineering Units 1 and 2; History Units 1 and 2; Information Technology Units 1 and 2 and Tourism Units 1 and 2.

“Digital Media and Animation and Gaming Design were also written electronically and continues to record 100 per cent pass rates,” CEO Hutson said.
Earlier in October, when the regional examinations results were announced, Dr. Nicole Manning, Director of Operations at the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC), lamented the “stark socio-economic realities” that exist within our societies. These, she said, were highlighted as candidates prepared for the examinations.

Her sentiments were echoed by Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand, who noted that “The digital divide and other similar equity issues were brought into sharp focus as the deep fissures between those possessing the wherewithal to adapt and those ill-equipped to undertake such adjustments became very pronounced.”

Minister Manickchand said then that it is therefore vital that “as we examine strategies and approaches for the advancement for education within the region, equal attention is given to addressing the structural and systemic barriers that inhibit those from effectively participating and benefitting”.

Another area that requires attention, according to the Education Minister, is the extent to which the region has modernised its education system and the degree of internal flexibility that exist in order to withstand external shocks.

“The pandemic caught us at widely different levels of readiness for the unprecedented demands and new modes of education delivery,” the minister admitted.

She said that equally notable is the fact that internally, countries responded to the disruption with varying degrees of alacrity. “It is vital that we create sufficient institutional, organisational and individual capacity for crisis risk management,” Minister Manickchand noted.

She further emphasised that “we should fully embrace the important role that education can play in mitigating, in the first place, the impact of disasters and building our resilience.”

To this end, she stressed the need for regional systems to be retooled with the required safeguard against inequity. Minister Manickchand, on Friday, reaffirmed her government’s commitment to delivering education in a manner that is equitable and fair, regardless of one’s social, financial or geographical position.