THE Government of Guyana will now fund the examination fees for the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC)’s Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).

This announcement was made by President Dr. Irfaan Ali on Thursday, less than 24 hours after he revealed plans to cover the cost of up to eight Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects.

“I will ensure that no child is compelled to limit the number of CSEC subjects they write on account of the financial circumstances of their parents. And this initiative goes beyond CSEC; it will also include the CAPE students, and they, too, will benefit from this initiative,” President Ali said in a live broadcast.

On Wednesday, the Head of State told a community meeting in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) that the initiative reflects the government’s care for their communities, the future, and the country’s education system.

In 2024, 721 students wrote various CAPE units from 13 secondary schools and four private centres across the country. The overall pass rate (students attaining between Grades One to Five) was 92.57 per cent.

Meanwhile, in relation to CSEC, a total of 11,612 students wrote the exams, and an analysis of the preliminary results has shown an overall pass rate of 67.23 per cent.

The country had copped the top spots in the Caribbean in both the CSEC and CAPE examinations.
In the past years, students have been receiving subsidised costs for reportedly up to eight subjects.