ROSEAU, Dominica, CMC – Dominica’s Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit, has known as for a “structural change” on the Barbados-based Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) as a part of the pressing reform of the training system required within the Organisation of Jap Caribbean States (OECS).
“That is about us and about the way forward for our kids and the way forward for our society. We have now to equip our kids with what they want at the moment to steer this sophisticated world,” Skerrit advised the 1Oth assembly of the Council of Schooling Ministers of the OECS, which ends right here in a while Friday.
“Our system can’t be seen to be preoccupied with solely getting ready college students for examination, and when you ask me, I feel there needs to be a critical structural change on the CXC. Merely including topics to be taken at examination stage on the CXC is just not a constructive motion,” Skerrit mentioned.
The CXC was established in 1972 underneath settlement by the taking part governments within the Caribbean Neighborhood (CARICOM) and in accordance with its web site, assures the worldwide human useful resource competitiveness of the Caribbean by the availability of syllabuses of the very best high quality; legitimate and dependable examinations and certificates of worldwide reputation for college students of all ages, skills and pursuits; providers to academic establishments within the improvement of syllabuses, examinations and examinations’ administration, in essentially the most cost-effective means.
CXC contains 16 taking part international locations: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks and Caicos Islands.
The primary examinations for the Caribbean Secondary Schooling Certificates® (CSEC) have been supplied in 1979 in 5 topics. After CSEC, CXC has launched a complete suite of {qualifications} to fulfill the wants of the area, together with the Caribbean Major Exit Evaluation(CPEA), Caribbean Certificates of Secondary Degree Competence (CCSLC), Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ), Caribbean Superior Proficiency Examination (CAPE), and the CXC Affiliate Diploma (CXC-AD).
Skerrit advised the ministers from the sub-regional grouping that they needed to prioritize training reform on their agenda, reiterating that pressing reform of the training system is required for the youngsters of the sub-regional grouping to arrange for the difficult interval forward.
“You might be lucky as ministers to have the chance now to be the leaders within the transformation and reform that we want on this Caribbean at the moment. This can be a international crucial; it’s a regional emergency that requires us to deal with the structural and systemic challenges in training dramatically.
“Sure, now we have addressed entry to training, sure, we’re addressing the difficulty of inclusivity, sure, now we have addressed to a big extent the difficulty of trainer coaching, however there have to be a paradigm shift”.
Skerrit, who as soon as served as minister of training right here, mentioned there have to be a paradigm shift, “or else the society will reap what we sow within the training system.
“I don’t need anyone to take what I’m saying personally as a result of that’s what occurs after we communicate of these issues,” he added.
The assembly right here is advancing the targets outlined within the OECS Schooling Sector Technique (OESS) 2012–2026, which was developed in response to the distinctive wants of Small Island Growing States (SIDS) and permitting for OESS to offer a roadmap for harmonised and impactful training reform throughout member states of the sub-regional grouping.
The assembly can also be facilitating strong dialogue and information change on shared priorities, together with inclusive training, high quality studying outcomes, and system-wide reform”.
A press release issued earlier than the assembly famous that it’s going to additionally search to speed up and maintain the OECS Digital Studying Ecosystem by coordinated motion to increase digital infrastructure, enhance entry to units and connectivity, combine high-quality digital content material and platforms, and strengthen educator and learner digital competencies to reinforce fairness and resilience in instructing and studying.
OECS Director Normal, Dr. Didacus Jules, known as on member states to urgently empower the instructing career, noting that lecturers stay the heartbeat of training.
“Digitisation is merely a software, however the human aspect perpetually stays integral, and that’s the reason we should transfer urgently to professionalise the instructing service.
“The time has come for us to determine nationwide or regional instructing councils that elevate instructing to a career of excessive requirements, steady studying, and status,” Jules mentioned, including, “This isn’t a technical possibility; it’s a ethical crucial.
“It’s a focused funding. If we anticipate lecturers to arrange our college students for the longer term, then we should put together the instructing career itself for the calls for of this new period. I due to this fact urge each member state…each lecturers union and each stakeholder to summon the desire to maneuver decisively in that route”.
Jules mentioned empowering the instructing career “is just not the accountability of lecturers alone, or ministries alone. It requires the complete weight of presidency coverage, union partnership, and societal respect.
“Allow us to be clear, empowered instructing is just not a slogan. It’s the very basis on which resilient, inclusive digital training will stand,” Jules added.
